Alien in Nairobi. Co-founder & CTO @UTUtrust $UTU and @MM_Nrb. Mastodon: @databu@mastodon.online

Nairobi
Joined September 2010
Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Today, the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Directorate signed a funding agreement with the Kenya Space Agency (KSA), marking the onboarding of a Transaction Advisor and the commencement of detailed project preparation activities for Kenya’s proposed Commercial Spaceport to be located in the coastal region. The agreement was signed by KSA Director General Maj Gen Hillary Kipkosgey and Director General PPP Directorate Eng. Kefa Seda. The global space sector has experienced significant growth, driven by increasing activity by governmental, intergovernmental, non-governmental and private-sector players in satellite development, deployment and launch services. This growth presents significant opportunity based on Kenya’s location along the equator and its east-facing coastline provide significant geographic advantages for launch operations, including the potential for more efficient launch trajectories. These advantages are complemented by ongoing investments in enabling infrastructure in the coastal region, including roads, water, energy and port infrastructure. The Transaction Advisor will undertake detailed technical feasibility assessments and commercial and financial analysis to support the development of a robust and bankable project structure. The advisory work will also inform the competitive selection of a private-sector partner, while ensuring value for money and protection of the public interest. The spaceport is expected to drive industrialization, create jobs, and generate positive socio-economic impacts, including development of auxiliary space related infrastructure and light manufacturing. The project is also expected to open a new revenue stream for Government through revenue-share mechanisms for the developed commercially viable launching site. KSA is committed to timely completion of the feasibility studies to pave way for the construction of the commercial spaceport.The critical infrastructure will contribute to national space capability development and growth of the nation’s space economy.
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Today is my birthday, and I have decided to do something that has been tugging at my heart for a long time. My former high school, Ananda Marga Academy in Kangemi, has only two working computers for more than 400 students, so I am raising KES 100,000 to buy at least three more as a first step. You can contribute via M-Pesa (0724 379 562), PayPal ([email protected]), Swish (+46 76 417 06 80) or Vipps (+47 458 66 571). Any amount, or simply sharing this post, would mean a lot themokaya.com/give
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
PresidenyWilliam Ruto: If God has decided that I serve a second term, I will. A Kenyan: God is not a registered voter in Kenya. 🤣🤣🤣
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
1:24 am Kenyan Time, we're flying humans around the moon!! – at Nairobi, Kenya
The countdown begins. Teams at @NASAKennedy have arrived to their stations at the Launch Control Center. We are about 48 hours from the launch of the Artemis II mission around the Moon. go.nasa.gov/4bHcwzx
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Political Economy in Kenya kaboro.substack.com/p/politi…
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Turkana , Kenya... @databu
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Most of you have been wondering what space looks like from Kenya , so here’s a post by Bastian @databu, an amateur astronomer and passionate astrophotographer, taken right here in Kenya. curious about what you’re seeing? read along this stargazing adventure titled: Olorgesailie III: Return of the Stargazers In this entry, Bastian shares another catch-up post from a visit to the Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site..; night.ke/2025/10/26/olorgesa… You can join @spacesocietyke and be part of this adventures..
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
For those who've never seen a comet imaged from Kenyan soil, feast your eyes on this! C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), captured right here in Thogoto by the talented @databu. Over a 30-minute sequence, watch the comet streak across the star field like it owns the sky. The western horizon was washed out by those annoying security lights (the nemesis of every astrophotographer), but @databu still pulled it off using my Olympus E-M5 II on a 65 mm f/6.5 refractor: 60 × 10 s at ISO 1600. He even spotted it visually: just the faint coma in 10×50 binoculars, then more coma and a subtle tail hint in his 10-inch Dob. Kenya’s astrophotography game is leveling up fast and nights like this prove it. The future out here? Absolutely electric. 🌠🇰🇪 @spacesocietyke
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
yesterday's election was a neon signal to crypto making the bed with fascists is a clear losing, industry killing strategy. if this is what we associate with, the backlash will be extreme, regardless of the technology let us show the world this is a small corrupt minority only
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Meet Frank, a dedicated member of the Space Society of Kenya. He has been doing outstanding work by building telescopes from scratch in Turkana. Let’s take a moment to celebrate and appreciate Frank for this remarkable innovation—right in Turkana, DM for Frank's Contact...
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Please check out my friends review of the Turkanascope I posted earlier on this platform..... such an insightful thread for a telescope crafted in Kenya...
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
I wanna be that dad that let's his kids look through the telescope all the time from a young age so they get into astronomy.
i wanna be that mom that lets her kids look through telescopes all the time from a young age so they get into astronomy
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
Replying to @TK_HelpDesk
Just an update here for anyone interested, TK's help desk is among the most useless and basically telling me that having to pay EUR 11880 for changing my economy seat it totally normal.
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
I knew this would be another Chanuka bus story - where somehow the Jewish children would be blamed. This is evidence from independent witness
Replying to @vueling
Vueling statement regarding the passengers disembarked for disruptive behaviour on flight VY8166
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
The regime's actions have consequences! We'll #OccupyUntilVictory, holding them accountable for their brutality and corruption. #77sirininumbers
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ Hey guys, if you were mugged during maandamano yesterday or even today, lost your ID, please make sure to get an OB report. Murkomen is pushing a certain narrative, and your lost ID might be part of it.
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
To be honest, that statement is an open and clear admission on your part @kipmurkomen of failure to do your job. Not only did you kill innocent protestors and fail to protect women from being raped but you also allowed the looting and vandalism of businesses and property by goons, not protestors. Where were you and your officers when all this was happening? Oh I have the answer to that - you were busy teargassing and harassing peaceful victims’ families and lawful protestors. The video below is of 23 year old Kevin Njau’s wife as she went into the morgue to view her husband’s body. Kevin was shot in the head at a bus stage in Kikuyu in the evening as he was waiting for a matatu to go back home from work. How was he a danger at a bus stage? Shame on you @InteriorKE. Shame on you @NPSOfficial_KE. Nkt!
STATEMENT ON THE CHAOS IN PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ON WEDNESDAY, 25TH JUNE 2025
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
It is very dangerous and reckless for @kipmurkomen to publicly say they would rather ignore court orders than follow them. Boss, you are the reason why the country is messed up. You are very irresponsible with such reckless statements. What do you think will happen when you ignore court orders, will you expect us to also follow them or any other law? You are really incompetent.
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
So silly for some of the 'leaders' to ask @LarryMadowo why he is covering the protests. 🤦🏾‍♀️ They've just decided he is an easy target b/c he stands out yet all media, incl BBC, covered the protests. Also, are the protests in Larry's dreams or are they actually happening?
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Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡 retweeted
So yesterday am standing next to a group of policemen just near their mariamu tunapiga story and they are telling us how pia wao wamechoka. Some guys from the crowd starts chants and throws a stone and we all turn to ask them not to hit these askaris. The askari next to me turns around and says “kama mbaya mbaya” he pulls out a rungu and hits me and drops a teargas canister just where am standing🤦🏽 Yaani, one minute we are talking, the next minute he’s breaking my hand na rungu! POLICE WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIENDS #SiriNiNumbers #RutoMustGo #occuppystatehouse2025
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