The Egyptian and Chinese teams announced on Sunday the start of the implementation phase of the Egyptian satellite project MisrSat-II funded by the Chinese government.
During the inaugural meeting of the project, which was held in the Egyptian Space City next to the new administrative capital, the two sides signed the documents for the start of the project.
Last Saturday, the launching ceremony of the Egyptian satellite project was held at the 4th China-Arab States Expo 2019, held in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui northwest China.
In January, Egypt and China signed an agreement to finance the Egyptian project MisrSat-II worth $ 72 million, classified as a small high-resolution remote sensing satellite.
Egypt believes that this project is another major cooperation between the two countries in the field of space, after the signing of the agreement to build the Egyptian Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Center at the Egyptian Space City, which is expected to be completed this year (the third picture on September 8, shows the construction of the center).
According to Dr. Ahmed El Refaey, head of MisrSat-II project, the project will be developed through cooperation and joint work between Egyptian and Chinese teams, which work in parallel. “The Egyptian side will provide the Egyptian counterpart with the expertise to develop space satellite systems,” he said. The teams will finish building the satellite within 35 months.
With regard to the design and construction phases, Refaey said: "The design phases will be implemented in parallel in Egypt and China, but the assembly and integration phase of the satellite systems and components will take place the Egyptian Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Center at the Egyptian Space City.
A ground control station will be provided in addition to a terrestrial software system to support satellite operation."
Refaey revealed the age of the satellite saying that it is up to 5 years, while the terrestrial station will be 15 years old (satellites ranging between 5 and 15 years depending on the model and size).
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Cairo Liao LIAO Liqiang said he believes Egypt and China have made four gains from this project:
1- Egypt is the first country to cooperate with China in the field of satellites within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
2. China will help Egypt to build a full center for the assembly, integration, and testing of satellites, where Egyptian and Chinese scientists and engineers will jointly work to complete the assembly, integration, and testing of the satellite MisrSat-II.
2. China will help Egypt to build a full center for the assembly, integration, and testing of satellites.
3. China will help Egypt form its space team and participate in the training of Egyptian space experts.
4. After the completion of the current project, Egypt will be the first African country to have full capabilities to assemble, integrate and test satellites.
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