Egypt Is Building Satellites for Africa | Egyptian Space Agency | El Alamein Airshow | Ahmed Elshal
In this exclusive interview at the El Alamein International Airshow, Travel And Tour World sits down with Ahmed Elshal, Director of the EO data Science Department at Egyptian Space Agency, to discuss Egypt's satellite capabilities and its growing role in African space development. Key highlights from the interview: 1. Ahmed Elshal Shal describes strong visitor interest at the exhibition, noting people are curious about what the Egyptian Space Agency does, its capabilities, and its heritage in space. 2. He highlights the agency's role in North Africa's space infrastructure development, noting around six missions launched in the last seven years, with four currently active including MisrSat-2, NExSat-1, ClimCam aboard the International Space Station, and a Spanish satellite launched last December for measuring space plasma. 3. He explains the agency acquires daily satellite images, processes them in-house at its data center, and supports ministries and national agencies with the required satellite imagery and products. 4. On data-sharing partnerships, he mentions existing agreements with other space agencies, along with ongoing efforts to partner with the European Space Agency and the Earth Observation Center Italy, plus a hoped-for agreement with the Italian Space Agency and Leonardo to access COSMO-SkyMed high-resolution satellite imagery, down to 50cm resolution. 5. On bridging defense and commercial capabilities, he clarifies the agency doesn't own communication satellites but focuses on Earth observation, providing satellite data to military users, including digital elevation models that can help pilots detect obstacles and avoid crashes. 6. He shares upcoming regional developments, including cooperative agreements with the Saudi Space Agency, UAE Space Agency, and the African Space Agency, which Egypt is hosting on its campus to help establish space law for Africa. 7. He mentions the African Development Satellite, a joint project between the Egyptian Space Agency and roughly four other African space agencies, where each develops a subsystem, with final integration and launch preparation done at Egypt's AIT center. 8. He closes by sharing what excited him most at the show, watching live flight demonstrations and interacting with international companies showcasing the latest in space and defense technology. About Travel And Tour World: Travel And Tour World is a global travel media platform covering travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, MICE, cruise, and luxury travel, with readership across 195 countries. [Egyptian Space Agency, Ahmed Al-Shal, Earth observation satellite, MisrSat-2, NExSat-1, African Development Satellite, Egyptian Space Agency Earth Observation Director interview, Egyptian Space Agency satellite missions North Africa, MisrSat-2 NExSat-1 satellite Egypt, COSMO-SkyMed high resolution satellite imagery Italy, African Space Agency headquarters Egypt, African Development Satellite joint mission, Egyptian Space Agency defense satellite data, El Alamein International Airshow, space technology exhibition 2026, satellite technology Africa 2026, Earth observation satellite trends, defense and space technology exhibition] #earthobservation #african #satellitetechnology #defensetechnology #TravelAndTourWorld #aerospaceindustry