ABOVE: An illustrated view of Tunguu’s 52-seat digital planetarium, where blue-lit seats curve beneath a dome used for shows about deep space and how Swahili seafarers navigated by the stars.Who is behind ZASS?
The Zanzibar Astronomy and Space Society, or ZASS, is a local organization that promotes astronomy and space science. It was active before the opening at Tunguu. On 21 September 2026, its leadership met President Mwinyi at State House and presented photographs of the night sky taken from Zanzibar.
In October, it invited Zanzibar residents aged 7 to 24 to build model rockets, make simple telescopes and enter other astronomy projects in a youth competition.
Bi Amina Ahmada is its executive director, Mr. Malik Juma its director of operations, and Mr. Abuubakar Harith its spokesperson. President Mwinyi has agreed to serve as its patron.
ZASS leads the Tunguu project.
The Zanzibar government allocated about 4,000 square metres of land, and the Oman Astronomical and Space Society and Muscat-based AstroSolutions contributed technical expertise. Omani engineer Abdulwahab bin Sulaiman Al Busaidi, a senior adviser to the project, told the Omani newspaper Al Roya that the funding came from the Zanzibar side.
https://zanzibarnikwetu.blogspot.com/2026/11/omani-expertise-supports-zanzibars.html
Is this the old NASA station returning in disguise?
No. An emphatic no. The old NASA tracking station and the Zanzibar Astronomy and Space Society (ZASS) are two separate institutions.
ZASS leads the new astronomy education project at Tunguu with support from the Zanzibar government and technical expertise from Oman.
The United States completed its tracking station near Tunguu in 1961 to track and communicate with spacecraft for Project Mercury. After the 12 January 1964 People's Revolution in the Isles, the new government of the People’s Republic of Zanzibar, led by President Abeid Amani Karume, asked the United States to remove the station. NASA’s historical chronology records that U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered its removal on 7 April 1964.
At the opening of the new centre, President Mwinyi proposed a dedicated exhibition to preserve that chapter of Zanzibar’s history.
https://zanzibarnikwetu.blogspot.com/2026/11/zanzibar-space-centre-to-promote.html
Casey Swails, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator, congratulated ZASS in a video message to be watched below. In the video she addressed the ceremony remotely and spoke about the opportunities the centre could create for young people. Given Tunguu’s history, it is reasonable to ask what role the United States has today. The public record identifies ZASS as the local organization carrying out the project under the Zanzibar government support and Omani technical involvement. There is no evidence that the United States owns, funds or controls the new centre.
What can Zanzibaris gain?
For school pupils, the centre offers a chance to look through a telescope and learn how astronomers observe the sky. For university students, astronomy can mean working with real scientific data. According to ZASS Executive Director Amina Ahmada, 33 students from Al-Sumait University, the State University of Zanzibar and the Karume Institute of Science and Technology have already taken part in an international asteroid search. President Mwinyi has called on the education and technology ministries to work with ZASS so more students can benefit.
https://zanzibarnikwetu.blogspot.com/2026/11/zanzibar-eyes-east-africas-space.html
ZASS says its members can book telescope sessions in Unguja and Pemba and has advertised both in-person stargazing and live telescope feeds online. For Zanzibar more widely, regular school visits and stargazing tours could create work for local guides, drivers, educators and telescope technicians. How widely those benefits are felt will depend on whether schools and communities across both islands can take part enthusiastically.
Who can join?
ZASS has invited residents, students and researchers to participate in its activities. Formal membership eligibility, fees and application procedures still need confirmation from the society. The 7-to-24 age range was published for the October youth competition. Anyone interested in joining or arranging a school visit can start with the society’s website or @zass.tz, the Instagram account listed in the competition announcement. ZASS website
Is there anything similar on Mainland Tanzania?
Yes. The Mt. Meru Astronomical Observatory, near Arusha National Park, welcomes school groups and other visitors and has a permanent 12-inch telescope. The Mainland also has the Astronomy and Space Science Association of Tanzania (ASSAT), led by Dr Noorali Jiwaji.
At Tunguu, Zanzibar brings an observatory and a digital planetarium together, giving local schools a place to combine practical science with lessons about how generations of Swahili sailors read the night sky.
We at ZNK do welcome with open arms Zanzibar’s ambition to become an East African hub for astronomy education and stargazing tourism through the new centre at Tunguu.
In addition, we would also like to see ZASS take the next step by acquiring a mobile planetarium and portable telescopes and bringing them to schools and colleges across Unguja and Pemba. Pupils in Pemba could get their first look through a telescope without having to travel to Tunguu.
A pupil who sees the rings of Saturn through a telescope for the first time may go on to ask questions that lead to a career in science. That is how ZASS can help move Zanzibar forward - by giving more young people the chance to explore the sky today and do their own research tomorrow.
/ZNK
No comments :
Post a Comment