Africa

SpaceWatch.Global Editor-in-Chief Dr. Emma Gatti describes Space Bridge. UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini announces the creation of Space Bridge, a new UNOOSA initiative aimed at bridging the knowledge gap within the sector and bringing different stakeholders together to compare problems and find answers for the significant challenges of the domain

The day two of the World Space Forum 2023 at UNOOSA in Vienna was fully packed with interesting and informative panels and events. Dr. Emma Gatti and Torsten Kriening give a short review of this day, starting with a panel moderated by Emma, followed by a high level panel on sustainability moderated by the Director of UNOOSA, Aarti Holla-Maini. Torsten summarises the panel about the Summit of the Future and highlights the Space Cafe Podcast live recording.

The U.S. Space Force, the U.S. European Command, and the U.S. Africa Command have launched the U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa component, their newest service component. The component was established to ​​support the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in an expansion of USSF’s growing reach into combatant commands.

The intersection between space exploration and climate action is becoming increasingly relevant, as advancements in technology enable us to monitor and understand our planet's changing climate from a unique vantage point.

Zhang Kejian, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) administrator, and Sherif Sedky, the Chief Operating Officer of the Egyptian Space Agency (EGSA), signed a cooperation agreement between the CNSA and the EGSA on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in Beijing on the 6th of December. 

China launched a remote-sensing satellite for Egypt on the 4th of December marking a new feat in space cooperation between these countries, according to the China National Space Administration. The Egyptian MISRSAT-2 satellite was launched on a Long March 2C carrier rocket which set off from the Jiuqan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The satellite was designed and built by Aerosapce Dongfanhong, a subsidiary of the China Academy of Space Technology.

Angola has become the 33rd country and third African country, after Nigeria and Rwanda, to sign the Artemis Accords and join the Artemis program. President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola officially signed the Artemis Accord on behalf of his nation, solidifying Angola’s commitment to deep space exploration and international collaboration. 

Africa, much like the US, Europe, and China, has demonstrated its interest in using space as a means to a societal end. In Africa’s case, the continent has awakened to how space, specifically space science and technology, can assist in addressing Africa’s social and economic challenges. The way the African Space Strategy puts it, Africa needs “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena." The rapid global development of spatial activities is a nifty representation of the fact that the same awakening happened in other parts of the world way before Africa. This may mean that Africa is late to the party, but perhaps it's more encouraging to see it as Africa being able to learn the best model for space development from other more advanced spacefaring nations.

Amini, a Kenya-based climate-tech startup aiming to bridge the environmental data gap in Africa, has raised $4 million in seed funding. Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund led the funding round, with further participation from VC Satgana, Pale Blue Dot and Superorganism, who had previously backed the startup in its $2 million pre-seed round earlier this year.

Djibouti has launched its first satellite, Djibouti 1A, into orbit, aboard Space's Transporter-9 smallsat rideshare mission on November 11 2023.  According to Space in Africa, the East African Country developed the satellite through a joint capacity-building program between Djibouti and its technical partner, the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM). As a result, Djiboutian engineers and technicians in France designed, constructed and tested the satellite.