The Angola minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS), Engineer Manuel Homem, received a delegation from the Mozambique Ministry of Transport and Communications in Luanda, Angola, on 12 October 2021. 

The purpose of the visit was to learn about the sector’s structuring projects, particularly those linked to the national space program, to guide the Mozambique space strategy. In addition, the delegation also visited the Center for Control and Mission of Satellites (MCC) at Funda, where they learned about the different areas that make up the MCC and received information about its functioning and potential.

The visitors were accompanied by the Ministry’s National Director for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Engineer. Matias Borges, PCAs and Sector Directors. In addition to the visit to the Satellite Control and Mission Centre, the delegation of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Mozambique also visited the National Space Program Management Office (GGPEN) headquarters in Talatona. Likewise, the delegation visited the departments that make up the Cabinet, which are led by senior staff with at least seven years of experience in the space area.

The Mozambican Task Force, which has Angola as an example to be followed concerning the implementation of space technology, intends to follow the paths taken by the Angolan government, from the approval of the National Space Program to the launch of a satellite.

During the visit, the GGPEN board presented all the stages of the Angosat project, emphasizing as its main pillar the focus on training and training of staff, among other experiences acquired during the eight years of launching the National Space Program.

Finally, the visitors interacted with specialists from different areas and discussed the results of applications developed by GGPEN within the scope of the earth observation program, highlighting the stoppage of oil spills, the WEBGIS tool for urban planning and the support system decision making – LIFE.

The MCC

The MCC building was built from scratch as part of the ANGOSAT project and the development of the terrestrial segment of the satellite communication and broadcasting system of the Republic of Angola. Furthermore, it can operate up to three satellites and is 100% managed by Angolan, internationally-certified staff who currently work in monitoring the compensation obtained through the Russian satellite AM7 and the European satellite Eutelsat 3B (E3B), with 144 MegaHertz in the band C and 144 MegaHertz in the Ku band.