Developers: | Egyptian Space Agency |
Date of the premiere of the system: | July 2023 |
Branches: | Space industry |
2023: Start of satellite production
On June 25, 2023, Egypt received two MisrSat-2 satellites, the creation of which is sponsored by China. Thus, Egypt became the first African country that has the ability to assemble and test spacecraft.
The satellites will be equipped with the Egyptian Space Agency, which was established in August 2019. China provided a grant of $74 million for the project, as well as $68 million for the construction of a center for the assembly, integration and testing of spacecraft.
The tasks of the Egyptian Space Agency include the formation of a full-fledged national space industry with the borrowing of technologies and the localization of production with an eye to creating and launching its own satellites. Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said Egypt will be the first African country to be able to collect satellites. At the same time, it was noted that Beijing "is interested in cooperation with Egypt to develop cooperation in space and further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries."
Like other countries such as Russia, the United States and Europe, China is always exploring new opportunities for the development of space business, said Nigerian space science scientist Temidayo Oniosun. |
The satellites are MisrSat-2 designed for remote sensing of the Earth with high spatial resolution. For three months, engineers from Egypt and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have been testing three spacecraft models. It is said that cooperation between the PRC and Egypt is one of the many areas of interaction between states. Egypt plays a strategic role as a satellite assembly center because it has access to Europe and Africa and is washed by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east.[1]