Egyptian Space Agency says Egypt to launch 4 satellites in 2022

CAIRO - 21 August 2020: Chief Executive Officer of the Egyptian Space Agency Mohamed el Qousy said on Saturday that Egypt will launch four satellites for scientific research in 2022.

The project is part of the strategy of the Egyptian State for upgrading the peaceful use of sciences and space technology, he pointed out in statements to MENA.

The strategy includes building modern space systems with Egyptian technology for upgrading the country and supporting the Egyptian industry, he added.

Head of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) Mohamed El Qousi said a new satellite of type Cube-Sat will be launched as part of a training program to manufacture "universities' satellites" by EgSA in the second half of 2022 after agreement with a Japanese side.

In statements to MENA on Monday, El Qousi said the universities' satellite will be composed, designed and tested by Egyptian hands, noting that the designs for the satellite have been finalized and environmental tests are currently underway to test its readiness for launching into space.

He asserted that EgSA has extended full support to all students from the practical and technical aspects with the participation of experts from all specializations.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of EgSA Mohammed Khalil Iraqi said the training program of the universities' satellite has been launched in 2016 with the aim of localizing the space industry and hone the skills of Egyptian students on the design of satellite components.

CubSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiple cubic modules of 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm size. CubeSats have a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf components for their electronics and structure. It will be used for remote sensing and photographing of the Earth.