The Egyptian remote sensing satellite (Horus 1) successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China into a sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on Friday, February 24.
Head of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA), Sherif Sedqi, said the Egyptian state’s launch of Horus 1 enhances Egypt’s pivotal role in the Arab World and Africa. He further noted that satellite launches are no more a luxury, but rather a need for the country’s growth.
According to Sedqi, an Egyptian satellite that is capable of shooting high-resolution images benefits not only Egypt but also Arab and African countries by providing them with high-resolution images that aid in their sustainable development, with a significant return to the Egyptian state in the form of new resources of income and hard currency.
Cairo and Beijing have productive and strategic collaboration in the realm of space and satellite launches, Sedqi noted.
He revealed that Egypt is establishing a center for assembling, integrating, and testing satellites, which will begin with a group of remote sensing satellites developed with full participation from Egyptian and Chinese engineering teams to localize satellite, manufacturing technology, and meeting all of the Egyptian space program’s requirements.
Sedqi indicated that Horus 1 serves many sectors of the Egyptian state, adding that it helps analyze agricultural soil throughout Egypt, allowing the bodies concerned to determine the best types of agricultural crops, maximize the benefit, and improve agricultural productivity, which has a positive impact on food security and meeting the needs of the Egyptian people.
He concluded: The satellite monitors all water sources, helps predict natural disasters, and monitors encroachments on state-owned land and violations such as narcotic cultivation.
