1st satellite of Egyptian universities to be launched next year: official

CAIRO - 16 August 2020: 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.