As of August 19, 2024, only 17 African nations have successfully launched satellites, with a total of 61 satellites deployed, according to SpaceHubs Africa. South Africa was the first, launching a satellite in 1998, while Senegal is the latest to join the list.
Senegal’s first satellite, Gaindesat, was launched at 6:46 p.m. GMT on Friday from the U.S. Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, in collaboration with SpaceX. Following the launch, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed pride in the achievement, noting the hard work of engineers over five years toward technological independence.
Gaindesat, designed by Senegalese engineers with support from Montpelier University Space Center (CSUM), will gather data for agencies like the Directorate of Water Resource Management and Planning (DGPRE) and the National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM). It is expected to aid in water management, weather forecasting, aviation safety, and climate monitoring.
Several other African nations are also advancing in space exploration:
• Ghana launched its first satellite, GhanaSat1, in 2017, developed by university students to study radiation effects and collect coastal data.
• Nigeria has launched seven satellites, including NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X for weather monitoring, and communications satellites like NigComSat-1.
• Algeria has launched six satellites, including Alcomsat-1, which provides services such as broadcasting and emergency communication.
• Egypt leads with 13 satellites focused on remote sensing and communication.
• Morocco has three satellites and plans to acquire two new Earth Observation satellites in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries.
• Sudan launched its first satellite, SRSS-1, in 2019 for Earth observation.
• Tunisia deployed Challenge ONE in 2021, enabling communication for sectors like agriculture.
• Djibouti launched its only satellite, DJIBOUTI-1A, for climate data collection.
• Ethiopia has two satellites, ET-RSS1 and ET-SMART-RSS, used for environmental and agricultural monitoring.
• Kenya has three satellites, with its latest, Taifa-1, launched in 2023 for agricultural and environmental monitoring.
• Uganda launched PEARLSAT-1 in 2022, supporting agriculture and other sectors.
• South Africa has deployed 13 satellites, including the nano-satellite nSight1.
• Zimbabwe launched ZimSat-1 in 2022 for agricultural and mining efforts.
• Angola launched AngoSat-1 and -2, aiding in telecommunications.
• Mauritius deployed MIR-SAT 1 from the International Space Station in 2021, advancing its satellite technology.
• Rwanda launched two satellites, RWASAT-1 and Icyerekezo, aiding various national projects since 2019.