Ethiopia has launched its first satellite.
The satellite was launched into space Friday from at a space station in China.
Ethiopian and Chinese officials and scientists, however, watched a live broadcast of the Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite launch at the Entoto Observatory and Research Center, north of the East African country's capital, Addis Ababa.
"This will be a foundation for our historic journey to prosperity," Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen said in a speech at the event. "The technology is an important even if it's delayed."
Solomon Belay, the director general of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute, told Reuters that China covered most of the costs of building the satellite.
The data from the satellite will help Ethiopia to monitor the country's resources and improve its responses.
