Kenya and Italy will revive the Luigi Broglio space center in Malindi to launch earth observation satellites, Adolfo Urso, Italy’s industry minister said at a press conference on Sunday.
- The space centre, located 30kms off the coast of Malindi, saw over 28 launches between 1967 and 1988, but has not been used since.
- Kenya has successfully launched three satellites into space since 2018, but the launches have been done overseas despite the presence of a space centre within its territorial waters.
- Urso visited Kenya in early October, where he and Soipan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary for Defense, visited the space centre and launched a museum.
“The idea is to give a new, more ambitious mission to this base and use it for the launch of low-orbit micro satellites for Earth observation, particularly for climate change phenomena such as desertification,” Urso added on the eve of the 75th International Astronautical Congress, according to Reuters.
He added that the space centre would be used to train scientists, students, and experts. Rome’s geopolitical interests are part of the Mattei Plan, where Italy will use its experience and expertise to train scientists, and support space policy, across Africa.
Italy’s space agency “could also train the first Kenyan, and therefore African, astronaut in history, in the same way that Italian astronauts are trained today,” Urso said while in Kenya in early October.
Why it Matters
The plan to revive the space centre comes at a time of intense competition for satellite and space capabilities, triggered mainly by Elon Musk’s Space X’s vast ambitions and deep pockets, and the ongoing global geopolitical shifts. The space race has had immense ramifications for defense capabilities and sectors such as telecommunications and agriculture.
Part of the Kenya Space Bill (2024) allows the Cabinet Secretary to establish new space centres for multiple purposes including: earth observation, navigation and positioning, space science and astronomy, satellite communications, space systems engineering, and launch activities.
Kenya Space Bill, 2024
Since 2018, Kenya has launched three satellites, although only one remains functional. The first, 1 KUNS-PF (the First Kenyan University NanoSatellite – Precursor Flight), was a nano satellite designed as an experiment. It deorbited on 12th June 2020.
The most recent is Taifa-1 Sat, which was launched in 2023 aboard a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellite was designed by Kenyan scientists and built by Endurosat in Bulgaria, with the whole project costing KShs. 50mn. The liftoff had been cancelled thrice due to bad weather.
It over flies Kenya every four days and gathers data for agriculture, land and environment monitoring, and will be operational for five years, before degrading over 20 years.
The bill gives KSA the mandate of approving any launch activities by Kenyan entities, whether domestically or overseas. “A Kenyan entity that undertakes launch activities in Kenya or oversees without the approval of the Agency commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to fine not exceeding one hundred million Kenya shillings,” the bill reads.
Kenya Space Bill, 2024
Kenya and Italy’s plans to revive the space centre in Malindi would be a boost to the Kenya Space Agency (KSA), established in 2017 and domiciled in the Ministry of Defence. It would offer both the government and private players a cheaper, more convenient option to launch satellites at home, with ripple effects including revenue and competitive advantage.
Kenya has launched the most satellites in the region (3), followed by Ethiopia (2), while Uganda and Djibouti have one each. 1 KUNS-PF deorbited on 12th June 2020 after natural degradation.
