"I can confirm that everything is set for the launching and the date is September 26," the minister told reporters after a cabinet meeting here.

The remote sensing satellite will be launched in Russia but mission control and ground station monitoring will be based in Abuja, he said.

He said a deal for the 13-million-dollar project was sealed in November 2000, adding that 15 Nigerian engineers and scientists had been trained to handle it.

SPACE.WIRE