Minister Mário Oliveira Presides Over Kick-Off of ANGEO-1 Satellite Development in France
An Angolan delegation led by Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira presided over the official launch of the ANGEO-1 Earth Observation satellite project at the facilities of Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France. The event marks the formal start of the satellite’s development and construction phase.
The high-level delegation included senior officials from the Gabinete de Gestão do Programa Espacial Nacional (GGPEN), underscoring the strategic significance the Angolan government attaches to strengthening national technological sovereignty and advancing the country’s space capabilities.
Among those accompanying the minister were Laldemira Nambala, Director of the Minister’s Office; Dr Zolana João, Director-General of GGPEN; Vangiliya Pereira, Deputy Director-General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at GGPEN; Amaro João, Technical Director of the Satellite Mission and Control Centre; and Luciano Lupedia, Project Manager for ANGEO-1. Representatives from the Angolan Embassy in France, including Minister Counsellor for Political Affairs Bernardo Laurindo and Press Secretary Cristiano de Barros, also attended the event.
The ANGEO-1 satellite will be developed by Airbus using its S250 optical satellite platform, designed for high-performance Earth observation missions. Once operational, the satellite is expected to significantly expand Angola’s capacity to acquire and utilise geospatial data.
During the ceremony, Minister Oliveira emphasised that the satellite will provide sovereign and direct access to high-resolution Earth observation imagery, enabling Angola to obtain more than a thousand images per day. This capability is expected to support multiple national priorities, including natural resource management, environmental monitoring, infrastructure planning, and territorial security.
In addition, the ANGEO-1 programme represents a major milestone in Angola’s evolving space strategy. As the country’s first satellite dedicated specifically to Earth observation, the mission is expected to strengthen Angola’s ability to develop data-driven public policies and support long-term economic and environmental planning through locally controlled geospatial intelligence.
Within the broader African space landscape, the project also reinforces Angola’s ambition to build advanced space capabilities and deepen partnerships with international aerospace leaders as part of the country’s expanding national space programme.