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Meet the African Countries With Their Own Satellites in Orbit

CC BY 2.0 / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Sun Over Earth (NASA, International Space Station Science, 11:22:09)Sun Over Earth (NASA, International Space Station Science, 11:22:09)
Sun Over Earth (NASA, International Space Station Science, 11:22:09) - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 14.09.2023
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The African continent's interest in space industry and program development is steadily growing. While the African space industry was valued at $19.5 billion in 2021, according to consulting agencies, it is projected to grow to $22.6 billion by 2026.
The inauguration of the African Space Agency on January 25 signaled a decades-long quest to establish a continental body to lead space activities in Africa.
Meanwhile, the success of African countries in this field was already noticeable back at the end of the 20th century, when Egypt became the first African country to launch its NILESAT-101 satellite into orbit in 1998. A year later, South Africa repeated the achievement.
To date, according to the latest data from consulting firm Spacehubs Africa, 15 African countries have launched a total of 50 satellites.
Sputnik Africa introduces the African nations that boast orbiting satellites.
Africa's first artificial satellite was launched by Egypt on April 28, 1998. The North African country has launched a total of ten satellites to date.
South Africa has an even higher number of launched satellites - 12, leading the continent in this respect. Its first artificial satellite, SUNSAT, was launched in 1999, but communication with the craft was lost three years later.

Rounding out the top three in the number of launched satellites are Nigeria and Algeria, with six spacecraft in orbit each. Nigeria's first satellite, Nigeriasat-1, was deployed from Russia in 2003.

Morocco and Kenya have twice as few spacecraft launched into orbit (three each). Kenya equaled the kingdom this April by sending TAIFA-1 into orbit.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the crew capsule Endeavour lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, March 2, 2023. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 15.04.2023
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Ethiopia and Angola boast two launched artificial satellites. Ethiopia's first satellite was launched in 2019, while Angola sent a vehicle built by the Russian company RKK Energia two years before that.
Seven African countries, namely Ghana, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe, have one satellite each.
In 2017, the African Union adopted the African Space Agency Act that designed the African Space Agency, a governance structure and strategy for continental-wide space activities. In January 2023, the AU formally inaugurated the agency.
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