Egypt to launch climate-change monitoring satellite by end of 2023

The Egyptian Space Agency (EGSA) is currently working on a satellite for monitoring ionospheric plasma which plays a key role for assessing the impact of climate change and means of alleviating its negative impact.

The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) is supporting and funding the SPNEX satellite – due to be launched by end of 2023 –  in collaboration with several scientific bodies and universities.

Ayman Mahmod, the supervisor of the project, said a detailed preview of the project will be presented during the activities of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) which Egypt will host in November.

The satellite is locally-made with distinguished Egyptian satellite companies contributing to the project.

The EGSA said it will be in charge of running and operating the satellite and will send the data received from the satellite to all state bodies concerned, he said.

He expounded that the satellite will improve the accuracy of predicting the ionospheric plasma level which is vital for monitoring climate change in particular, he said, noting that the Arab and African regions do not have meticulous data in this respect.