Senegal successfully launched its first satellite, GAINDESAT-1A, into orbit, marking a milestone in the nation’s budding space program, SENSAT. Built by Senegalese engineers in partnership with the Centre Spatiale Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM), the earth observation nanosatellite was launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
GAINDESAT-1A will collect data for state agencies to improve resource management, weather forecasting, and aviation safety. After delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the launch is the result of five years of effort by Senegalese engineers. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye praised the achievement as a significant step toward technological sovereignty.
This satellite marks the first phase of the SENSAT program, designed to support Senegal’s socio-economic development through space technology. Senegal also completed a space control center in Diamniadio in 2023, partnering with France’s CNES and ArianeGroup. The African space industry continues to expand, with 125 new satellites planned across 23 countries by 2025 and a projected value of US$22.64 billion by 2026.
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