The African Space Agency (AfSA), established under the African Union (AU), opened its doors last month in Cairo, Egypt.
It marks a critical development for a continent grappling with the disproportionate impacts of climate change, while also striving to catch up with global advancements in space technology and Earth observation.
Several African countries have launched satellites that play key roles in agriculture, climate monitoring, communications, and disaster response, but none have been launched from African soil.
The agency aims to strengthen Africa’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, establishing weather stations, and ensuring that vital data is accessible across the continent and internationally.
Meshack Kinyua, a space engineer and an African space policy veteran who now oversees capacity-building at the agency, said the space efforts in Africa have been disorganised, but the new African Space Agency will help coordinate them better. It allows all African Union countries to access shared space data based on their specific needs, creating more efficiency and fairness.
AfSA’s launch comes at a time when global funding streams are drying up. The Trump-era dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) significantly cut back support for climate and satellite-related programs on the continent.
Among the casualties was SERVIR, a flagship joint initiative between USAID and NASA that provided vital Earth observation tools to developing countries.
The African Space Agency is working with the European Space Agency to train professionals and exchange knowledge, especially in satellite development and data processing.
Rising space ambitions
Cairo launched Africa’s first satellite in 1998. By the end of 2022, the continent had successfully launched at least 52 satellites, according to consulting firm Space Hubs Africa.
More than 20 African countries have established their space agencies, with 18 of them launching a total of 63 satellites. The continent plans to more than triple the number of satellites sent into orbit over the next few years. The African Union funds the African Space Agency on a project-by-project basis.
Africa’s early space pioneers, such as Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa, took many years to set up their agencies and begin operations because they started from scratch.
“It shouldn’t take that long now that many African countries have space experience, and hopefully the best outcome is that new countries can look at existing examples and coordinate to go faster,” Danielle Wood, an associate professor who directs the Space Enabled Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said.
The global space economy is worth about $469 billion, while the African space industry, valued at $19.49 billion in 2021, is projected to grow by 16.16% to $22.64 billion by 2026.
