Senegal Joins Exclusive List of African Nations with Satellites

Senegal has become one of only 12 African nations to have a surveillance and telecommunications satellite with the launch of its first satellite, GAINDESAT-1A, from California’s Vandenberg base. The nanosatellite, developed by Senegalese engineers in collaboration with France’s Montpellier University Space Centre, was deployed into orbit via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. It will collect data for various state agencies, including those managing water resources, civil aviation, and meteorology. According to Maram Kaïré, director of Senegal’s space agency, the launch is a historic moment in Senegal’s journey to becoming a space-faring nation. Senegal’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, also hailed the event as a significant step toward the country’s “technological sovereignty.”

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS