Yuri Gagarin, Guiding Star for Africa's Space Exploration

We commemorate April 12, the day humanity pushed the limits of what we could imagine, Mr. Patrick Ndlovu, CEO of Infinity Integrated Solutions, and Board Chairman of the South African Space Agency (SANSA), said.

"As you can imagine, for thousands of years, human beings have always wondered what is actually out there, looking at the stars, looking at the sun. For the first time, we as human beings saw the possibility to actually touch, live and work in space. And therefore this day will always be remembered as the day in which human beings broke through what you call not 'the sky is the limit,' but 'space is the limit.'" Ndlovu stated.

Gagarin's trip was a milestone in space exploration, and the contributions of Russian space knowledge extend from that date. Many African countries, like South Africa, Kenya, and Algeria, are already drawn into the space race. And according to the expert, Russia is the driving force behind most of the South African ambitious space programs during the last few years.

"It's very interesting because since South Africa restarted our space programs in the 1990s, we have received most of our support from the Russian Federation. [...] Most of the successful satellite missions that Africa had undertaken, the largest of those satellites, were actually being conducted by the Russian Federation." he highlighted.

Discover more insights from our guest on the Russian Essence podcast, proudly brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

*Mr. Patrick Ndlovu's opinion does not represent the South African Space Agency's (SANSA)

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