Kenya and Italy are set to relaunch the Luigi Broglio Space Center in Malindi in a move that is set to be a major breakthrough for Kenya’s space exploration.
While addressing a press conference in Milan ahead of the International Astronautical Congress, Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso noted that the space center would be used again for the launch of Earth observation satellites.
"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," stated Adolfo.
Managed by the Italian Space Agency ASI, the space center is located 30 kilometers(19 miles) north of Malindi and started its operations in the 1960s with its last launch being in 1988.
The minister, according to Reuters, revealed that the space center would be used for the training of local students, industry experts, and scientists.
The relaunch, which will materialise in a few years, is set to be an indication of the maturing bilateral relations between the Kenyan and Italian governments and it falls under Rome’s Mattei Plan, an Italian development initiative for African countries.
This announcement comes weeks after the Italian minister was in Kenya to hold bilateral talks with various cabinet secretaries including Dr Margaret Ndung’u (CS for Information, Communication and Digital Economy) and Soipan Tuya (CS for Defence) where he co-chaired the second Council of Ministers meeting with the latter.
Go Deeper: The first Italian satellite launched from the Luigi Broglio space station was in 1964 at Wallops Island. The second satellite, the San Marco-2, was launched from the S.Marco platform in 1967. It had 17 launches in total, with the last being in 1988.
According to the Kenyan Space Agency, the Luigi Broglio Space Station in Malindi mainly houses ground station equipment that transmits and receives signals from various space systems utilised in specialised missions
The space center is divided into two segments. The ground segment (35.00 sqm), provides scientific and technical services (antennas for in-orbit control (satellites/launchers) and scientific data collecting). The sea portion (5 platforms) makes up the other section and it employs 200 locals.
What it means: The relaunch of the space center provides a unique opportunity that can lead to Kenya launching satellites locally, setting a precedent for others in the East African region. Kenya has launched three satellites with the first being in 2018 but all have been launched abroad. Of the three, only one remains operational- Taifa-1 Sat which was launched in 2023.
While speaking during his visit to Kenya in early October, Mr Adolfo expressed his excitement at the potential the space center has and stated that this could birth the first Kenyan and African astronaut. “The Luigi Broglio space agency could train the first Kenyan and therefore first African astronaut in history, in the same way Italian astronauts are trained today.”
Aside from providing great insights into climate change, the Earth observation satellite(s) will also assist in enhancing Kenya’s defense and security capabilities, contribute to agriculture through monitoring and predictive analytics, environmental and natural resource management as well as support land and physical planning.
