Low earth orbit satellites operated by US tech giants are launching to offer internet services to under-served African communities. How should the continent greet their arrival – and how can African nations play a more active role in the space race, asks Lennox Yieke. Africa’s space economy has long been …
Read More »Why current space race could turn fatal if we don’t agree on new rules
To stop this race from morphing into a future catastrophe, there is urgent need to strengthen how space is governed COMMENT | CASSANDRA STEER | Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen had an emotional message before he and three colleagues set off for the Moon earlier this year on the Artemis …
Read More »East African countries plan regional satellite launch
Sovereign satellite capabilities are a growing priority as African governments look to boost communications, broadcasting and digital access NEWS ANALYSIS | BEN PAYTON | Ministers from Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda have agreed to push ahead with a plan to develop a satellite that will improve access …
Read More »NRM-O retreat at Kyankwanzi amid America’s renewed geopolitical contest for the moon
From Kyankwanzi to the Moon and beyond: Another case for Regional Integration and Shared Ambition COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | Sometime in 2023, I found myself on a panel at the Kampala Geopolitics Conference, convened by the French Embassy and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung–Uganda in partnership with Makerere University. …
Read More »Uganda’s Mujuni one of 8 picked for the Young African Space Professionals Award
Libreville, Gabon | THE INDEPENDENT | Edgar Mujuni, a Ugandan space systems engineer and emerging leader in Africa’s space sector, is one of eight set to get the 2026 Young African Space Professionals award next month. The awards are set for April 20th in Libreville, Gabon, at the NewSpace Africa Conference. …
Read More »Can America win the new race for scientific leadership?
COMMENT | NANCY QIAN | As geopolitical tensions rise, competition for the cutting-edge science and talent that underpins advanced technology has heated up. The United States, China, and other major powers now regard leadership in areas like AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and biotechnology as central to military capability, economic security, …
Read More »Russia opposes deployment of weapons in space: Putin
MOSCOW | Xinhua | Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia opposes the deployment of weapons in space, stressing that Moscow sees no threat related to recent discussions about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. During his annual press conference, Putin dismissed speculation surrounding the 3I/ATLAS comet. “This is our secret …
Read More »Uganda’s Race to Space
As Uganda plans to start a space agency in 2026; a look at the promise and peril NEWS ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | Uganda plans to start its own space agency in 2026 to tap into one of the fastest growing domains in the global economy. The space agency …
Read More »China’s commercial space sector gains momentum through mobile-to-satellite communication tech
BEIJING | Xinhua | China’s commercial space sector has already notched up fruitful achievements and is moving forward to an even better future, according to guest speakers on the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency. A few months ago, Chinese space …
Read More »Russia vows to “respond” to any weapon deployment in space
MOSCOW, RUSSIA | Xinhua | Russia will “respond” if any nation attempts to militarize and deploy weapons in space, Yury Borisov, head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, said Friday, local media reported. “Russia has firmly and consistently maintained its position against the deployment of any weapons into space,” Borisov …
Read More »
The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price