While many of the satellites equipped with solar panels and other gadgets that detached from their mothership on Aug. 16 were built by Western nations and businesses, one of the 116 was the first spacecraft ever developed by the African country of Senegal.
A small CubeSat called GaindeSAT-1A, the Senegalese satellite, will provide earth observation and telecommunications services. Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called it a big step towards “technological sovereignty.”
The cost of launching a satellite has fallen significantly in recent years, said Kwaku Sumah, founder and managing director at Spacehubs Africa, a space consultancy.
“That reduction in cost has opened the market up,” said Sumah, according to BBC Africa. “These smaller nations… now have the opportunity to get involved.”
To date, a total of 17 African countries have put more than 60 satellites into orbit. Along with Senegal, both Djibouti and Zimbabwe have also watched their first satellites become operational during the past 12 months.
Dozens more African satellites are expected to go into orbit in the coming years. However, the continent currently has no space launch facilities of its own.
Many pro-African space advocates note that more of the continent’s nations can chart their own way into orbit and beyond. Data from satellites could help Africans monitor crops, detect threats posed by extreme weather such as floods, or improve telecommunications in remote areas, Sumah explained.
“It’s important for African countries to have their own satellites,” Sumah said, arguing that it means better control over the technology and easier access to satellite data.