Dr Majed Ismail Appointed as CEO of Egyptian Space Agency

By Presidential Resolution No. 439, issued on August 19, 2025, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has appointed Dr. (Eng.) Majed Ismail as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) for a one-year term, effective immediately. He succeeds Prof. Sherif Sedky, who led the agency from August 2022 until August 2025.

Prof. Sedky was first appointed on August 19, 2022, succeeding Dr. Mohamed Al-Qousi. He was subsequently reappointed for a one-year term on August 19, 2023, by a presidential decree.

Prof. Sherif Sedky’s Tenure at the Helm of the Egyptian Space Agency (2022–2025)

Prof. Sherif Sedky’s leadership of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA), from August 2022 to August 2025, will be remembered as a key period in consolidating Egypt’s position as a regional and global leader in space science and technology. Throughout his tenure, he steered the agency towards fulfilling its core mandate of creating, transferring, developing, and localising space technology while laying the groundwork for Egypt to become a hub for satellite design, manufacturing, and launch within its territory.

Expansion of In-Country Satellite Capabilities

Under his guidance, EgSA advanced several flagship satellite projects, reinforcing Egypt’s commitment to building indigenous capabilities in Earth observation and satellite engineering. Examples include Horus-1, Horus-2, MisrSat-2, Horus-2, and NExSat-1.

• MisrSat-2: Launched in December 2023 from China, this remote-sensing satellite was assembled and tested in Egypt’s newly built Satellite Assembly, Integration, and Testing Centre (AITC). It marked Egypt’s first domestically produced space product, enabling high-resolution (2 m panchromatic, 8 m multispectral) Earth observation to support urban planning, water resource monitoring, agriculture, and environmental management.
• NExSat-1 (also referred to as NExT-SAT 1): Launched on 3 February 2024, this 67 kg microsatellite was developed in collaboration with Germany’s Berlin Space Technologies. EgSA led the design requirements, software development, assembly, testing, and even the control station in Egypt. The satellite delivered multispectral imagery (5.7 m resolution) and achieved ~40% localisation of technology, completing hundreds of tests and capturing over 1,400 images, thereby powering Egypt’s capabilities in satellite technology and data applications.

Pan-African Space Projects

Prof. Sedky also placed strong emphasis on promoting international collaboration, initiating and formalising partnership agreements with numerous countries and institutions.  These alliances not only enhanced Egypt’s technological capacity but also embedded the agency within the broader global space ecosystem.

• African Development Satellite: This collaborative satellite project among Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria will focus on climate monitoring and the collection of environmental data. Egypt leads design, assembly, integration, testing, and launch, while partner countries contribute subsystems. AfDev-Sat aims to capture detailed Earth surface data, offering 7m resolution for panchromatic imagery and 30m for multispectral imagery. These resolutions enable high-detail imaging and comprehensive data collection, allowing for the analysis of critical environmental factors such as vegetation health, land use, and water bodies.

Institutional Infrastructure & Regional Leadership

Prof. Sedky’s tenure further elevated EgSA’s profile in Africa, positioning it as a leader in regional space cooperation and a strong advocate for leveraging space technology for sustainable development. His vision and initiatives provided the agency with institutional growth and a clearer strategic direction, ensuring that Egypt remains at the forefront of Africa’s rapidly developing space industry.

• Global Leadership Roles: Under Sedky’s leadership, Egypt assumed the presidency of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), a first for an African nation, and also chaired the Arab Group for Space Cooperation, thereby enhancing its diplomatic footprint in space affairs. In his capacity as the Chair of COPOUS, Prof Sedky leads the Committee in reviewing international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space, studying space-related activities that the United Nations could undertake, encouraging space research programmes, and addressing legal issues arising from the exploration of outer space.
• Space City and AITC: Prof. Sedky accelerated the development of Egypt’s “Space City”, a complex hosting EgSA’s HQ, the AITC, the African Space Agency (AfSA) HQ, and a planned satellite control centre and academy.

Commercial Infrastructure & Market-Driven Growth

A defining feature of his administration was the introduction of new programmes and projects within the agency, targeting both technological innovation and human capacity development. Through training initiatives and educational efforts, he expanded opportunities for young scientists and engineers, ensuring that Egypt’s next generation of space professionals is well-prepared to carry the torch forward.

• Satellite Imagery Platform & Sales: EgSA developed an online platform for browsing and purchasing satellite images in decision-ready format, which was made available to strategic MDAs in the country. 
• Component Manufacturing: Plans are underway to establish a joint-stock company within Space City dedicated to manufacturing satellite components, pushing Egypt toward vertical integration in the space sector

Prof. Sedky congratulated the new CEO on assuming his role and wished him success in his new assignment.

In his remarks, Dr. Majed Ismail thanked the outgoing CEO, Prof Sedky, for his service and highlighted his achievements, including the launch of space missions, strengthening cooperation with foreign and local partners, and presiding over international and Arab space committees.

About the New CEO

Dr (Eng.) Majed Ismail is regarded as one of the most distinguished figures in Egypt’s space and technology sector, with a career marked by supervisory and leadership roles that advanced institutional development and enhanced the capabilities of national space technology centres.

Before his appointment as CEO, Dr. Ismail held several strategic positions within EgSA, including:

• Sector Head at the Space Technology Centre
• Assistant Director at the Space Technology Centre
• Director of the Space Technology Centre
• Chairman of the Space Technology Transfer Programme Management Committee
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Space Agency

Dr (Eng.) Majed Ismail holds a Master’s and PhD in Electrical Engineering and extensive leadership in managing strategic programs and projects in space and satellite technology, with active participation in the National Space Technology Transfer Programme since 2008.