FALCON POWERS- Senegalese President Macky Sall announced that Senegal has successfully placed its first satellite into orbit, considering this launch as a major step towards the country’s “technological sovereignty”.
The satellite, GAINDESAT-1A, was launched around 6:56 PM UTC on Friday from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, as the President mentioned on the X platform. He said, “This step is the fruit of five years of hard work by our engineers and technicians,” adding that “this progress represents a major step towards our technological sovereignty, and I would like to express all my pride and gratitude to all those who made this project possible.”
According to the national television station RTS, the satellite was designed by Senegalese engineers, in partnership with the French University Space Center in Montpellier (CSUM).
RTS reported that the “Falcon 9” rocket placed several satellites, including GAINDESAT-1A, into orbit after launching from the Vandenberg base.
The satellite aims to collect data for various government agencies, including the Directorate of Water Resource Management and Planning, to improve resource management in the country.
RTS also indicated that the satellite will gather data for the National Civil Aviation and Meteorological Agency to help improve weather forecasting and aviation safety.
