Egypt’s experimental Earth observation satellite dubbed MisrSat-II will be launched into space in 2022, says Haitham Medhat, the head of the team developing MisrSat-II, in a recent TV interview.
MisrSat-II satellite is a technology transfer project between the Egyptian Space Agency and the Chinese government aimed at providing Egyptian engineers and scientists with an opportunity to acquire on-the-project experience in satellite design and integration using facilities available in Egypt.
Work on the satellite began in 2019 with the plan to launch the satellite into space by 2021. However, Medhat explained that the COVID-19 outbreak affected operations and set back delivery timelines by some months.
Medhat disclosed that the team had concluded design reviews before the pandemic disrupted operations. They now plan to commence manufacturing components and integrating subsystems by next year.
In January 2019, Beijing provided a USD 72 million grant to fund the satellite project, in addition to a USD 45 million grant it offered earlier in 2018 to support the construction of Egypt’s satellite assembly, integration and testing (AIT) facilities.
When the development is completed, the satellite will be launched from China onboard a Chinese launch vehicle.
Read: Egypt To Launch Two Experimental Satellites Ahead Of A Planned NGEO Constellation
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