A spaceport worth US $1billion is set to be developed in Djibouti. This follows a partnership deal inked between the country with Hong Kong Aerospace
A spaceport worth US $1billion is set to be developed in Djibouti. This follows a partnership deal inked between the country with Hong Kong Aerospace Technology.
The project involves construction of a port facility to launch satellites and rockets in the northern Obock region. A power grid and a highway to ensure the reliable transportation of aerospace materials will also be set up. Djibouti, according to the deal will issue a land with minimum 10 sq km and with a term of not less than 35 years and all the necessary assistance to build and operate the Djiboutian Spaceport.
First orbital spaceport in Africa
The project is expected to be complete in the next five years. It will be is a massive milestone for Africa, making it the first orbital spaceport on African soil. The preliminary deal, signed in partnership with Touchroad International Holdings Group, clears the path for a formal contract signing, planned for March 2023.
“The project would enable the Group to leverage on the resources of the Republic of Djibouti and the business connection of Touchroad in Africa, and allow the Group a smooth entrance into the aerospace business in the Republic of Djibouti,” Hong Kong Aerospace Technology noted in a statement.
“The projection will avail a launch base that will serve all Africans. It will push eastern Africa off the sleeping state as far as active development of space-based innovations are concerned. I see expansion of Africa’s space industry—with a number of African countries already building and operating their own microsatellites—as a growing trend,” said Victor Mwongera, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kenyatta University.