Senegal pursues homemade satellites in African space race

Senegalese engineers are assembling Gaindesat-1B, a nanosatellite intended to collect environmental and climate data, as the country tries to build more of its space technology at home.

The work is taking place in a lab in Montpellier, southern France. Gayane Faye, chief of Sensat, Senegal's national space programme, said preparations are already under way for future satellites at Sensat's new headquarters outside Dakar.

Faye said Senegal had “mastered the manufacturing process” and had removed the coaching component used on its first satellite, Gaindesat-1A, which was built with the University of Montpellier and launched in 2024. Gainde means “lion” in Wolof.

The project comes as African governments expand space programmes and as Paris hosts a space summit on September 9 and 10, with African government and industry representatives expected to attend.

Temidayo Oniosun, founder of the Lagos-based consultancy Space in Africa, said national space budgets across the continent have grown to $800 million, up from less than $300 million in 2018. He said more than 20 African countries now have space programmes, compared with eight in 2018.

Satellite data is seen as useful for urban planning, environmental monitoring, flood risk and disaster management. Richard Folly of Togo-based African Geospace said the next phase of Africa's space development should focus on the economic, strategic or societal value satellites produce.

Faye said Senegal still depends on buying satellite images and lacks the means to carry out some services. He said the agency wants its third satellite to carry its own Senegal-developed payload and, if infrastructure is ready, wants the fourth satellite to be built entirely in Senegal.