President of the Egyptian-Russian Foundation for Culture and Science, Hussein Al-Shafei, said Egypt and Russia intended to launch a new Egyptian satellite by 2019, stressing that the satellite is in the final stage of development, this according to a report in the Egypt Today infosite.
In a statement with Russia Today news, Al-Shafei said that the programed launch of the satellite was signed between Egypt and Russia a year and a half ago. It will be launched in the final months of 2018 or the first months of 2019. He said that the new satellite is specialized for photography, hoping that it will meet Egypt’s needs in terms of images to draw development plan and preserve borders. He further remarked that it has the same specifications of the previous Egyptian satellite EgyptSat-2 that was launched in April 2014, but was lost in 2015. The new satellite name has been modified to EgyptSat-A.
Al-Shafei pointed out that the satellite launch schedule will be announced by Russian space agency Roscosmos. The agency will indicate whether it will be launched in 2018 or 2019. The schedule will be issued by presidential decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the satellite will be launched from a Russian space base in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Al-Shafei concluded by stating that Egyptian Russian relations are strong and strategic. Russia has committed to manufacturing the satellite at the expense of the insurance coverage from the lost satellite.
Egypt lost EgyptSat-2, which is the second remote-sensing satellite in April 2015. EgyptSat-2 did not respond to commands from Earth and control over the satellite was lost. The satellite was taking pictures of the planet in the visible and infrared spectrum with panchromatic and multi-spectral modes.
The Egyptian government approved a law to establishment of an Egyptian Space Agency on September 27, 2017. Egypt is alsoset to launch launch another satellite by 2021,this one in collaboration of China.
