House of Representative approves launching first Egyptian satellite

CAIRO – 25 December 2017: The first Egyptian satellite built with Egyptian components to launch next July, in cooperation with Japan, after the House of Representatives approved the draft law to establish an Egyptian Space Agency, the Minister of High Education, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, announced on Monday.

The satellite was manufactured by Egyptian brain power and 80 percent Egyptian components, such as camera and control unit, Ghaffar further explained.

He affirmed, “We are proud of Egyptian efforts in this field… By 2022, the Egyptian component will reach 100 percent.”

The Ministry of High Education is set to establish a city on the Suez road for the Egyptian Space Agency to produce satellites and train Egyptians to carry out production.

China will cooperate in finishing the first phase of this city in the upcoming year.
Despite the primary cost of the technology, after its success, the station and agency will start paying for themselves. Costs of training individuals and manufacturing parts, as well as up keeping costs, will certainly be inexpensive compared to expected returns, Ghaffar added.