Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) and the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) have, on June 6, signed an agreement to further promote space-based services as an essential tool for expanding connectivity in Rwanda and the African continent.
The agreement will touch key areas such as supporting in the deployment of satellite communications services in Rwanda and preserving access to satellite spectrum.
Other areas are; preserving access to orbital slots reserved for developing countries, cooperating with African space agencies, and promoting satellite communications services in Rwanda and across Africa.
GSOA is the representative body of 29 global and regional satellite operators.
Minister of ICT and Innovation Paula Ingabire , Secretary General of the Global Satellite Operators Association Aarti Holla-Maini and Col. Francis Ngabo, CEO of the Rwandan Space Agency after signing the agreement in Kigali
Speaking at a meeting of African space agencies on Satellite communications for sustainable development in Africa, Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General of GSOA, said the cooperation with the RSA will cover a range of critical topics.
"Connecting the unconnected will simply not happen without the use of satellite and African space agencies like the RSA can play a key role in emphasizing the importance of satcoms at policy and regulatory level,” he noted.
Col. Francis Ngabo, CEO of the Rwandan Space Agency emphasized the role played by GSOA in becoming the voice of the satellite industry and the importance of such partnership.
"RSA has the ambition of creating a vibrant space ecosystem where satellite communication will play an important role, and by working with GSOA, we believe we can accelerate the achievement of these objectives.”
The agreement will go a long way towards establishing the framework necessary to enhance the availability of satellite communications in Rwanda.
Paula Ingabire, the Minister of ICT and Innovations, in April, said that Rwanda is in talks with a host of nations to help develop its space capabilities in the use of geospatial data, in the design, and manufacturing of satellites.
This is while last year, Rwanda Space Agency filed a request to acquire two satellite constellations from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), namely Cinnamon-217 and Cinnamon-937.
The Minister later told The New Times that the number had been increased to seven of them and the full launch of the satellite constellations is expected by the end of 2023.
In 2019, Rwanda and Japan teamed up to build the first cube satellite (RwaSat-1) which was launched from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre and deployed to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from the International Space Station.
A satellite constellation is a group of satellites working together as a system. Unlike a single satellite, a constellation can provide permanent global or near-global coverage.