Five years after the signing of the design protocol, Senegal’s first satellite is ready to be soon be launched into orbit. 

GAINDESAT-1A, Senegal's first nanosatellite, is ready for its launch. Successfully integrated into an Exolaunch deployer in the United States, this development was revealed by the Senegalese Space Program (Sensat) on Thursday, June 13, via LinkedIn.

The 10 cm-edged nanosatellite will be launched into space in the coming days aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Its primary mission will be to collect data from state meteorology and water level measurement agencies, which have stations across the country.

Additionally, GAINDESAT-1A will capture satellite images of Senegal using an onboard camera. These images will serve as raw material for future developments. The satellite will take images of the country four times a day for six to seven minutes each time, over a five-year period.

This achievement is the result of a collaboration between the Senegalese government and the Space Center of the University of Montpellier (CSUM), where the satellite was designed and built by Senegalese engineers and technicians. Once in orbit, it will be monitored and controlled from Senegal, using a large control room.

With the launch of GAINDESAT-1A, Senegal will become the second Francophone sub-Saharan country, after Djibouti, to have its own satellite. In Africa, Egypt and South Africa were the first to embark on the space adventure in 1998 and 1999, respectively, followed by a dozen other countries.

Samira Njoya