Understanding China’s Expansive Interest In Africa’s Space Sector
In December 2004, the Nigerian government contracted the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for the turnkey and in-orbit delivery of the Nigerian Communications Satellite, NigComSat-1. Estimated at USD 300 million and funded by China EXIM Bank, the deal marked China's first export of a turnkey satellite and launch service, paving the way for Beijing's entrance into Africa's space…
Understanding China’s Expansive Interest In Africa’s Space Sector
In December 2004, the Nigerian government contracted the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for the turnkey and in-orbit delivery of the Nigerian Communications Satellite, NigComSat-1. Estimated at USD 300 million and funded by China EXIM Bank, the deal marked China's first export of a turnkey satellite and launch service, paving the way for Beijing's entrance into Africa's space…
Nigeria Reps To Carry Out Forensic Audit On NigComSat
The Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday agreed to initiate a forensic audit of the activities of the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Limited from inception to date sequel to the adoption of a motion on the ‘Need to investigate the alleged sleaze, misappropriation and non-profitability of the NigComSat Limited,’ sponsored by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu; reported…
Nigeria Reps To Carry Out Forensic Audit On NigComSat
The Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday agreed to initiate a forensic audit of the activities of the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Limited from inception to date sequel to the adoption of a motion on the ‘Need to investigate the alleged sleaze, misappropriation and non-profitability of the NigComSat Limited,’ sponsored by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu; reported…
OneWeb And Sky & Space Failure – The Effect On Satellite Broadband Connectivity In Africa
About 41.3% of the world’s population living in remote and rural areas globally do not have access to good internet, in Africa, it is 60.7% of the population. One of the fundamental problems with connectivity is the challenge with infrastructure. Fibre broadband is still the most popular method everywhere in the world and most rural parts of the world do not have connectivity because of little or…
By 2024, More Than 19 African Countries Would Have Launched Satellite Into Space
The African space industry is predominantly focused on space applications for ordinary
problems, unlike other parts of the world where much emphasis is placed on space
exploration and military applications. They do not only generate revenue for the industry, but serve a myriad of functions, from sending down a constant stream of data reporting to us facts about our environment, helping us tackle…
Egyptian Space Agency Sign Cooperation Protocol With French Space Agency
The Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) has signed a bilateral space cooperation protocol with the French Space Agency (CENS) during a recently-held joint workshop in Cairo themed: Egypt-France Partnership and Cooperation in Space Science and Technology.
Dr Mohamed Elkoosy, CEO of EgSA and Mr Jean-Yves Le Gal, President of CNES, in the presence of His Excellency Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egypt's…
NigComSat: Nigeria’s Satellite Company Still Not Profitable After 14 Years
When the Nigerian Communication Satellite company, NigComSat, was incorporated in 2006, the government had ambitious plans for it. The country’s excitement overflowed the following year with the launch of Sub-Saharan Africa’s first geostationary communication satellite. By April it will be 14 years since the journey started, but NigComSat’s scorecard remains unsatisfactory.
Domiciled under the…
Egypt To Launch Two Experimental Satellites Ahead Of A Planned NGEO Constellation
With the success recorded in launching four satellites in 2019, of which two were developed by Egyptian engineers locally, the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) has rolled out a plan to build a constellation of satellites to serve various security and development needs within the Egyptian borders.
The plan is contained in Egypt's new 10-year National Space Programme (2020-2030) which was approved…
Peek Into Egypt’s Growing Capacity In Space And The Approved 10-year National Space Program
In 2019, Egypt hit several milestones in its space-faring ambition and set new records in Africa for launching four satellites into space - the highest number launched by an African nation in a calendar year - bringing the total number of satellites launched by the North African nation to nine, including three communications satellite launched by its publicly-traded satellite operator NileSat.…