Angola entrusts Airbus with the construction of its first Earth observation satellite
March 7th 2023
Angola continues its path towards its ambition of space sovereignty. The country already has a telecom satellite and a satellite control center. Further investments in the sector are planned for the next few years.
After the commissioning of its second telecom satellite, Angola wants to strengthen its space fleet with an Earth observation satellite called Angeo-1. The construction of the machine was entrusted to Airbus Defense and Space, a subsidiary of the Franco-German group Airbus specializing in military aircraft, drones, missiles, space launchers and artificial satellites.
Airbus intends to deliver to Angola “ a latest generation Earth observation satellite to support social and economic development, including a series of strategic activities such as urban planning and the management of precious mineral resources” . Additionally, the company plans to provide a comprehensive training program for Angolan engineers to strengthen national skills through targeted knowledge transfer.
This agreement was signed on the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Luanda on Friday, March 3. It comes a few weeks after Angolan President João Lourenço authorized by decree the marketing of AngoSat-2, the second Angolan telecommunications satellite. The craft was built by Russia as a replacement for the AngoSat-1 satellite, worth $327.6 million, lost in space shortly after its launch in 2017. The country also has a satellite control center.
These different initiatives are part of the National Spatial Strategy of Angola. The government aims to take advantage of space technology to accelerate the country’s development, in particular by improving the quality and coverage of telecom services. This should facilitate the digital transformation of all sectors of the economy. Space technology can also be used for other applications.
According to Airbus, “ sovereign access to satellite imagery will contribute significantly to infrastructure development; natural resource mapping; maritime surveillance, including fishing; agriculture and demography. It will also provide a better understanding of the origins and impacts of climate change on the economy, such as monitoring droughts, sea level rise and water resources ”.
Back