Egypt has launched its second earth observation satellite, the MisrSat-2, also known as EgyptSat-2, to study the impact of climate change on the environment, which, in turn, serves Egypt’s efforts to achieve the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Launched on 4 December from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in China, EgyptSat-2 was assembled and tested at the Egyptian Space Agency’s (EgSA’s) Satellite Assembly, Integration, and Testing Centre (AITC) – the largest of its kind in Africa and the Middle East, that was established within the framework of a partnership between Egypt and China, according to EgSA’s statement.
Under the Egypt-China technical cooperation agreement, a team of Egyptian engineers from EgSA collaborated with a team of Chinese experts in every stage of the satellite’s design and manufacture.
EgyptSat-2 aligns with China’s broader ambition of expanding its influence in the field of space exploration and satellite technology around the world, along with its presence in space and satellite-based services, according to a September 2023 report, Why is China Giving Satellites to Egypt?.
According to the report, the Egyptian satellite supports China’s Belt and Road Initiative and enhances its strategic interests in Africa through its involvement in the global landscape of satellite communication and connectivity.
But, according to the EgSA statement, the Egyptian team “successfully developed one of the components of the satellite completely, marking Egypt’s first domestically produced space product”.
EgyptSat-2 is one of the initiatives of the Egyptian space programme. Its work focuses on building human resource capabilities for space sciences fields and establishing a scientific research base for utilising the space technologies and applications to serve the national development plans.
It also aims to launch another satellite, the National Experimental Satellite (NExSat-1), a remote-sensing microsatellite designed for urban planning, by the end of 2023.
A tool for achieving SDGs
According to the EgSA’s statement, the EgyptSat-2 will help Egypt to achieve sustainable development goals through the use of space technology in promoting the development of agriculture, exploration of mineral resources, identification of surface water sources, and studying the impacts of climate change on the environment.
EgyptSat-2 “enhances Egypt’s leading role by providing targeted training programmes aimed at qualifying specialised cadres in the African continent and the Middle East and providing them with satellite data”.
The mission of the EgyptSat-2 is supported by a report, Satellite Data’s Role in Supporting Sustainable Development Goals.
Satellite development process
Atta-ur-Rahman, a UNESCO Science Prize laureate and former coordinator general of the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the 57-country Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, welcomed the development of the satellite as a tool to address challenges such as climate change, drought and natural resource management but also allows for the customisation of disaster management systems and enhancing the ability to mitigate the impact of disasters on communities.
“Indigenous satellite development also provides a unique opportunity for African nations to build educational capacity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, fields as well as enable African nations to design and deploy communication satellites tailored to their specific needs which can significantly improve connectivity, support e-learning initiatives and facilitate better access to information in rural and marginalised communities,” said Atta-ur-Rahman, who is also the former federal minister of science and technology of Pakistan.
Only nine out of more than 50 African satellites launched over the past 10 years were designed, manufactured, and assembled in Africa, according to a September 2023 report, The state of African space industry.
“A thriving satellite industry requires a skilled workforce in various disciplines, from engineers and scientists to technicians and project managers.
“This necessitates the introduction of educational and research programmes in aerospace engineering, satellite communication and remote sensing at African universities to prepare students for careers in the space industry and related fields.
“The satellite industry stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship, [it] fosters the growth of local businesses and contributes to overall economic development,” he said.
Climate change research
Magdi Tawfik Abdelhamid, a professor of agricultural biotechnology at the National Research Centre in Cairo, Egypt, told University World News that EgyptSat-2 is a tool for implementing Egypt’s National Climate Change Strategy 2050 which called for integrating climate change issues into the educational process, scientific research, technology transfer and awareness-raising.
According to the Climate Change Knowledge Portal of the World Bank, Egypt’s already arid climate is vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change, including extreme temperatures, irregular precipitation, elevated sea levels and land subsidence, coastal flooding, shoreline erosion, deteriorating soil salinity, and persistent drought.
These challenges are expected to negatively impact water security, agriculture and livestock, increasing adverse conditions to health, human settlements and energy demand and supply.
“The launch of EgyptSat-2 not only marks an important milestone for the use of Egypt’s space programme in tackling climate change impact, but also facilitates the cooperation with African states in regional space initiatives that serve the 2063 Africa Development Agenda through the African Space Agency,” said Abdelhamid.
Source: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20231206132638594