Al-Mashat Witnesses EgyptSat 2 Satellite Assembly & Testing

The Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, witnessed the completion ceremony of the assembly and testing of the satellite MisrSat 2, in cooperation with China, today, Sunday, at the headquarters of the Egyptian Space Agency, in the presence of the Chinese Ambassador to Cairo Liqiang Liu, CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency Dr. Sherif Sedky, and the financial director of the Chinese company CASC, along with a group of representatives of the State of China and the Government of Egypt.

Al-Mashat said that the completion of the assembly and testing process for the EgyptSat 2 satellite at the Egyptian Space Agency's Satellite Assembly, Integration and Testing Center, in preparation for its reloading and launch from China, reflects the close cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the People's Republic of China and its reflection in all sectors, fields and efforts to localize the process of designing, assembling and manufacturing satellites in Egypt.

Al-Mashat indicated that Egypt and China enjoy a close historical relationship, as both countries are among the most important, oldest and most ancient civilizations in the world, which represents a strong base for the continuity and distinction of relations between the two countries over many decades, and this was reflected in the keenness of the two countries to strengthen bilateral relations and sign the strategic partnership agreement in 2014, which launched a new phase of cooperation and strategic partnership between Egypt and China.

She explained that the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement represented a breakthrough towards enhancing and diversifying aspects of joint cooperation in various fields and exploring new horizons of cooperation, and since the Ministry of International Cooperation is the national coordinator for Egyptian-Chinese development cooperation, the Ministry played a major role in coordination between the concerned authorities in Egypt and China to advance the implementation of the agreed development projects portfolio.

Al-Mashat confirmed that the Satellite Assembly, Integration and Testing Center and the EgyptSat 2 satellite for remote sensing applications are among the most important projects being implemented from the Chinese grant resources provided to Egypt, as the two projects are being implemented with two grants worth $92 million. 

The project represents a unique model for knowledge exchange and effective cooperation between the two countries, in addition to confirming the Chinese side's keenness to support Egypt's priorities in promoting scientific research in general and supporting the Egyptian space program in particular, explaining that Egyptian-Chinese cooperation in this field will move forward to achieve more progress, which will be reflected in development efforts.

In the same context, Al-Mashat stated that today's event inaugurates an important station in the history of development cooperation between Egypt and China, to be the beginning of intensive future cooperation in the field of space and remote sensing applications between the two sides, noting the importance of this cooperation going beyond bilateral relations to include more countries in Africa by taking advantage of the presence of the headquarters of the African Space Agency in Egypt to enhance the exchange of knowledge and best technologies between Egypt, China and the countries of the continent.

It is worth noting that the total portfolio of cooperation with China amounts to about $1.7 billion to implement many projects in various development sectors, including electricity, health, education, vocational training, and others. 

During the year 2022, technical cooperation for capacity building and human resource development was strengthened with the Chinese side through the implementation of approximately 301 training programs in the fields of agriculture, trade, industry, electricity, communications, transportation, solidarity, health, planning, youth, sports, finance, culture and petroleum, as well as the Egyptian Space Agency, the General Authority for Investment and the Suez Canal Authority.