Senegal has reached a historic milestone with the successful launch of its first satellite, GAINDESAT-1A, from California’s Vandenberg base on Friday evening. This achievement makes Senegal one of only 12 African nations to possess its own surveillance and telecommunications satellites in space.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye hailed the launch as a significant step towards Senegal’s “technological sovereignty,” expressing pride and gratitude to all those involved in the project.
Maram Kaïré, director of Senegal’s space agency, described the launch as a historic day in the country’s progress, marking an important step towards becoming a space-faring nation.
The nanosatellite, built by Senegalese engineers in collaboration with France’s Montpellier University Space Centre, was launched into orbit alongside 115 others using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. GAINDESAT-1A will collect data for various state agencies, including those responsible for water resources, civil aviation, and meteorology.
