"Space is nothing new in Africa."
"When America sent [NASA astronaut] Neil Armstrong to the moon, it wasn't like, 'This is good for America, and we thank Africa and other regions for their contribution.' But Africa played a role in that. And the reason we tell this story is to provide the context that space isn't a brand new thing in Africa."
"These guys are not thinking, 'We want to go to the moon or Mars.' They're thinking, 'I can use this satellite to provide connectivity to my village. I've got flooding issues, drought issues, my farm is not yielding, and I can use this satellite data to improve that.'"
During the 1960s Apollo missions, African countries hosted critical ground infrastructure that enabled moon missions. Today African nations design, build, own, and launch satellites tailored to continental needs. Space technology is applied primarily to practical problems such as providing connectivity to remote villages, monitoring floods and droughts, and improving agricultural yields. Much satellite data is freely available, but many international satellite programs do not cater adequately to Equatorial region-specific requirements. As a result, African space efforts focus on niche, application-driven solutions that prioritize tangible benefits for local communities over exploration-focused ambitions.
Read at www.dw.com
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