On April 6, 1965, NASA launched the world’s first commercial communications satellite into orbit. The satellite was named Intelsat 1 and nicknamed the “Early Bird.” It was built by Hughes Aircraft Company for the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT). Early Bird could relay...

According to MENA, the initiative, held under the patronage of Egypt’s Prime Minister, aims to strengthen Africa’s space economy through innovation and collaboration. Africa currently hosts 22 space institutions, with total investments estimated at US$7.7 billion, representing just 1 per cent of the...

The African space industry is rapidly expanding, with increasing satellite launches reflecting a commitment to space exploration. Earlier this week, a space object fragment weighing 500kg fell in a Kenyan village, underscoring the continent’s rising space activity. As of 2022, Africa had launched 52...

Government has developed a national satellite strategy that will be presented to cabinet ministers soon. One of the recommendations is that government should acquire and fully own its own geostationary satellite. The department of communications & digital technologies and the department of...

On April 4, 1968, NASA launched the final uncrewed test flight of its Saturn V rocket. The Apollo 6 mission demonstrated that the Saturn V rocket and Apollo spacecraft were ready to send astronauts into space. On top of the rocket was the Apollo Command and Service Module and a boilerplate version...

Austin Nwaulune, the Director of Spectrum Administration at Nigeria Communications Commission NCC has disclosed that the satellite capacity is contributing only 0.2% to Nigeria’s internet connectivity, according to Space in Africa. Nwaulune was speaking on a panel at the virtual Nigeria Com 2020, an...

The fourth edition of the NewSpace Africa Conference will be held from April 21 to 24, 2025 at the Egypt Space City, Cairo, Egypt. The conference is being organised by Space in Africa, in collaboration with the African Space Agency and the Egyptian Space Agency. The conference was announced at the...

SES, a Luxembourg satellite telecommunications company, has announced plans to expand its Medium-Earth orbit (MEO) constellation in 2025 to deliver increased bandwidth to its African customers. The initiative targets African enterprises and telecommunications operators, addressing the continent’s...

On April 3, 1973, the Soviet Union launched a small space station called Salyut 2. This was the second space station to be successfully launched (after Salyut 1) and the first military space station. The Soviet Union told the rest of the world that Salyut 2 was a civilian space station built for...