Africa’s Satellite Market to Remain 84% Government-Backed Through 2030, Space in Africa Report Shows
Space in Africa, a boutique consulting and media firm providing data-driven insights for businesses and decision-makers to succeed in the African space industry, has released the African Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Industry Report 2025. The Report analyses market dynamics, demand and supply drivers, financial projections, and the competitive landscape of Africa’s satellite manufacturing and launch sector from 2018 through 2030.
The African satellite market continues to be predominantly government-driven, with 84% of future satellite launches between 2018 and 2030 backed by public funding. Government investment in the sector is projected to increase from USD 1.7 billion to USD 2.6 billion during this period, demonstrating sustained national prioritisation of space technology as a strategic asset. In 2025 alone, African governments allocated USD 426.31 million to space programmes, underscoring the continent’s commitment to advancing its space capabilities.
This government-led approach reflects the strategic importance African nations place on space infrastructure for national development priorities, including telecommunications, agricultural monitoring, disaster management, and security applications. While commercial satellite activity exists, the overwhelming majority of satellite procurement, development, and launch decisions remain within the public sector, shaping the continent’s space industry trajectory.
“The African satellite market remains fundamentally government-driven, with public sector investment accounting for 84% of satellite launches through 2030. This dominance reflects how African governments view space technology as critical national infrastructure rather than purely commercial ventures. While we see emerging private sector activity, government agencies remain the primary customers, funders, and decision-makers shaping the continent’s space trajectory. This creates both opportunities and challenges, opportunities for companies that can navigate government procurement processes, and challenges in building sustainable commercial models beyond public contracts,” says Mustapha Iderawumi, Senior Analyst at Space in Africa and the report’s lead author.
Despite the government-dominated landscape, the report reveals significant progress in regional collaboration and indigenous manufacturing capabilities. Cross-border projects such as TanSat-1, a joint initiative between Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire, and AfDevSat demonstrate growing trends in collaborative missions designed to build shared capacity across African nations. These partnerships represent a strategic shift toward pooling resources and expertise to achieve collective space ambitions.
“Regional cooperation is emerging as a key strategy for African countries to maximise their space investments. Projects like TanSat-1 and AfDevSat show that nations are increasingly willing to collaborate rather than operate in isolation. This trend is critical for building sustainable space capabilities across the continent. As African manufacturers advance, launching their first missions, testing in-orbit thrusters, and expanding their satellite subsystems, we’re seeing real technological progress. The market potential is substantial, from Earth observation to communications and scientific applications. Companies like CubeSpace, Simera Sense, and EMSS Antennas have collectively raised over USD 32 million, signalling growing investor confidence in Africa’s space manufacturing sector,” says Samuel Nyangi, Analyst at Space in Africa.
However, the report identifies a significant gap in the satellite component manufacturing sector. Despite growing activity, less than 1% of African satellite component revenue comes from African customers, indicating substantial room for intra-continental market growth. South Africa dominates the continent’s satellite component manufacturing landscape, hosting over 60% of Africa’s satellite component manufacturers, making it the continent’s leading space technology hub.
Strategic private investment is beginning to reshape the sector. CubeSpace has raised a total of USD 5.5 million to expand beyond nanosatellites to mid-size spacecraft. Simera Sense has secured USD 16.3 million, while EMSS Antennas has raised USD 10.6 million, collectively demonstrating investor confidence in African space manufacturing capabilities.
“The data reveals a striking contradiction in Africa’s satellite component industry, despite having capable manufacturers, particularly concentrated in South Africa, which hosts over 60% of the continent’s satellite component companies, less than 1% of their revenue comes from African customers. This export-oriented model shows these companies can compete globally, but it also signals a massive untapped opportunity for intra-continental trade. As African governments continue to invest USD 2.6 billion through 2030, there’s significant potential for local manufacturers to capture a greater share of this domestic demand. The challenge lies in building the procurement frameworks, financing mechanisms, and technical partnerships that enable African governments to source more components locally rather than defaulting to traditional international suppliers,” says Victor Oluniyi, Analyst at Space in Africa.
The Africa Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Industry Report 2025 provides a comprehensive analysis of market size, financial projections, regional revenue distribution, manufacturing competitiveness, and future opportunities through 2030. The report guides decision-makers, investors, researchers, and industry experts on navigating Africa’s satellite sector, understanding demand and supply dynamics, identifying key players and stakeholders, and recognising emerging opportunities and challenges in the continent’s space economy. Learn more about the report here.
About Space in Africa
Space in Africa (SiA) is a boutique consulting and media firm that provides data-driven insights to help businesses and decision-makers succeed in the African space industry. SiA offers strategic consulting, market research and analytics, and media and PR services with an in-depth focus on the African space industry. Our domain focus enables us to build relationships, offer our clients market-inspired expertise, and support them in succeeding in Africa.
We manage the largest platforms, share industry activities, and connect stakeholders in the African space ecosystem. These platforms include news, analysis, opportunities, the African Space Data Hub, and the NewSpace Africa Conference, the largest gathering of decision-makers and foreign partners interested in the African space economy. We have built upon these platforms to create tailored strategies and market research for companies and institutions interested in the African space industry. We offer services to clients from across all continents, and our resources are continually used in over 120 countries.