Burkina Faso, a landlocked Francophone West African country, has made significant strides towards growing its space ecosystem over the years.
The country commenced the construction of its first satellite, BurkinaSAT-1, in Q4 of 2020, aiming to leverage the Earth Observation satellite for its national interests, such as food security.
Additionally, the nation has been investing in ground infrastructure to support space activities.
This includes the development of a ground station located at the Norbert-Zongo University in Koudougou, which was built in 2020 as part of the satellite construction project.
With BurkinaSAT-1‘s launch scheduled for the coming months, we spoke to Professor Ouattara Frédéric, the project lead, to learn about its current developments.
Professor Frédéric is the former Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and the 2018 AGU Laureate of the Africa Award for Research Excellence in Space Science.
The primary focus will be successfully launching and maintaining satellite operations, particularly ensuring the Burkina Sat 1 mission’s effective deployment and continuous data collection capabilities.
Simultaneously, the country aims to develop robust frameworks for transforming satellite acquired data into actionable insights, targeting critical sectors such as agriculture, environmental monitoring, and national resource management.
A key institutional milestone is establishing the Burkina Faso Space Agency, which will be the central coordinating body for national space initiatives, research, and technological innovation.
Yes. Burkina Faso has taken significant steps towards establishing a national space policy to harness space technologies for socio-economic development.
A dedicated focal point has been appointed to oversee legal aspects and actively participates in various United Nations sessions on space law.
These engagements aim to draw valuable insights for drafting comprehensive legal texts and developing an operational framework to support the country’s ambitions in the space sector.
Source: https://spaceinafrica.com/2024/12/23/2024-in-review-burkina-fasos-growing-space-ambitions/
