The head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, announced that Russia is proposing to construct spaceports in “friendly” nations, including African countries like Algeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and others, as first reported by Sputnik. Additionally, Yury added that these proposals are especially relevant to countries closer to the equator, which prove ideal for spaceport locations. Rockets launched from these locations benefit from the Earth’s rotational velocity, which is fastest at the equator, significantly boosting payload capacity and reducing fuel requirements. Additionally, equatorial locations offer direct access to geostationary orbits, minimising the need for complex trajectory adjustments during launches.
Yury Borisov further added that Russia is diversifying its range of conventional services and is now seeking to incorporate the construction of ground infrastructure for the launch of carrier rockets. This move encourages Russia to turn more into “friendly” nations. In this regard, Russia is now working to strengthen cooperation with African and Southeast Asia nations.
Russia’s Expanding Footprint on the African Continent
In recent times, space has emerged as a growing field of cooperation between Russia and its African partners. In September 2024, it signed satellite deals with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The agreement aimed at jointly developing telecommunication and remote-sensing satellites for the three West African nations to boost national security. In 2023, Russia signed a space exploration deal with Algeria to cooperate on using outer space for peaceful purposes.
Last year, during the Russia- Africa Forum, Roscosmos signed a cooperation agreement with African countries. The agreement included satellite production and launch, the development of manned programmes, and surface space infrastructure. These developments further underscore Africa’s key role in the ongoing space race.
Source: https://spaceinafrica.com/2024/11/27/russia-offers-to-build-spaceports-in-africa/
