On the outskirts of the Namibian capital Windhoek, a Chinese-funded and built satellite data receiving ground station symbolises China’s growing cooperation in Africa’s nascent space industry.
The station was described by the Chinese embassy as “a shining example of China-Namibia cooperation” as they celebrated the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
In a social media post on July 18 announcing the completion of the satellite facility ahead of time earlier this year, the embassy said it aimed to support Namibia in developing its space-related infrastructure and training technical talent, while enhancing its capacity in remote sensing satellite applications”.
The ground station will primarily receive, process and distribute remote sensing satellite data for various applications such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, disaster management and resource assessment in the southwestern African country.
China will also provide technical training to dozens of engineers to build up Namibia’s capacity to operate and use the station independently.
This ongoing cooperation highlights China’s growing influence in space, as it helps African nations to build their space capabilities through strategic partnerships.
