27 November 2023

GaindeSat, Senegal’s first satellite, will be put into orbit during the first quarter of 2024, says the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. The satellite was delivered on November 10.

The nanosatellite was built over three years by Senegalese engineers and technicians trained by the Montpellier University Space Center (CSUM) as part of a partnership with the Senegalese government. The construction and launch of GaindeSat constitutes the first stage of the Senegalese national space program, SenSAT, which aims to make the sector a real lever for the socio-economic development of the country, through the design and operation of tools in space. The goal is to meet national needs for space products and services, and to become a space hub for the sub-region.

Next on the horizon for Senegal is a plan to build and launch larger satellites, with other applications such as telecommunications.