The West African State of Angola has ordered an S250 optical Earth observation satellite (EOS) from Airbus Defence and Space, part of the Europe-based global major aerospace and defence group Airbus. The craft for Angola will be known as Angeo-1 and will give the country a very high-performance EOS, over which it will have sovereign control.

The order was announced during French President Emmanuel Macron‘s visit to Luanda, where he held a range of discussions with his host, President João Lourenço. The satellite contract helped reinforce the cooperation between the two countries.

“Space supports life on Earth,” highlighted Airbus Space Systems head Jean-Marc Nasr. “This is why I was honoured to join Presidents João Lourenço and Emmanuel Macron to support Angola’s far-sighted space ambitions. As Angola’s strategic partner for space, Airbus will deliver a latest-generation [EOS] to support social and economic development including a range of strategic activities such as urban planning and management of precious mineral resources.”

Use of satellite imagery is not new for Angola. The country has already developed a number of applications using Airbus-supplied data. These include agricultural monitoring, land use mapping and maritime surveillance.

And although Angeo-1 will be the country’s first EOS, it will not be its first satellite. Angola already operates its own telecommunications satellite, Angosat-2. (Angosat-1 failed immediately after entering orbit.)

Angeo-1, once operational, will be the most advanced optical EOS controlled from Southern Africa. The design is a product of Airbus’ 30 years-plus experience in designing and building reliable space craft and systems. The contract includes a comprehensive training programme for Angolan engineers, using targeted knowledge transfer to build competencies within the country.   

“This satellite will further foster the development of the country in many different sectors, improving the life of Angolan citizens,” affirmed Airbus. “Sovereign access to satellite imagery will make a significant contribution to the development of infrastructure, mapping of natural resources, maritime surveillance including fisheries, agriculture and population. It will also provide a better understanding of the origins and impacts of climate change on the economy, such as drought monitoring, rising sea levels and water resources. This will lead to being better prepared in case of natural disasters with improved response rates and reduced loss of assets."