9 reasons why Senegal's first satellite launch is a big deal

In a major historic milestone, Senegal successfully launched its first satellite from California. According to Africa News, the launch took place on Friday evening.

The country’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye celebrated the successful launch and said that the move marks a major step towards Senegal’s “technological sovereignty”.

“I would like to express my pride and gratitude to all those who made this project possible,” he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Here’s a look at what made the event so historic for the African nation.

Le Sénégal entre aujourd'hui dans une nouvelle ère avec le lancement réussi de notre premier satellite, GAINDESAT-1A, à 18h56 précises depuis la base de Vandenberg en Californie.

Fruit de 5 années de travail acharné de nos ingénieurs et techniciens, cette avancée marque un pas… pic.twitter.com/2tGNRwzgMe

— Bassirou Diomaye Faye (@PR_Diomaye) August 16, 2024

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A historic

• With the successful launch, Senegal became one of just 12 African nations with their own surveillance and telecommunications satellites in space.

• Maram Kaïré, director of Senegal’s space agency, called the launch “an important step and a historic day in our country’s progress and determination to become a space-faring nation”.

• The Satellite named GAINDESAT-1A was built by Senegalese engineers in collaboration with France’s Montpellier University Space Centre.

• The satellite will be used to collect data for various state agencies including those that are dealing with water, resources, civil aviation and meteorology.

• The satellite is expected to provide valuable data to manage Senegal’s water resources, improve weather forecasts and aviation safety, and contribute to the monitoring and management of Senegal’s lakes and watercourses.

• The nanosatellite was initially scheduled for launch in July 2024.

• In 2019, the Senegalese administration announced the plan and pledged to complete the project in two years.

• The project intends to foster a vibrant local space ecosystem that supports research and drives industrial innovation.

• The satellite was launched into orbit along with 15 others, from the Vandenberg base in California. It was SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket which carried it to space.

With inputs from agencies.