The North African nation of Tunisia added to its bag of achievements and national development as it launched its first satellite, ‘CHALLENGE 1’, to orbit, on 22 March 2021.
The satellite was launched from the Baikonur base in south-central Kazakhstan aboard the Russian Soyuz-2.1, a rocket that also carried thirty-seven other satellites for Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany, South Korea and thirteen other countries.
The Tunisian satellite is remarkable as it is made with local efforts and it is the first satellite that was made in the country, built by the Tunisian company Telnet Group, with a weight of about 3kg. The satellite’s functions and uses cover communication and data exchange in many areas including control, transport, agriculture and logistics, whereby it receives data and sends it to suppliers around the world.
The live coverage of the satellite launch was held at the headquarters of the Telnet group at the country’s capital, Tunis, with the Tunisian President, Kais Saied, in attendance to commemorate the event. In his address, the President congratulated the Telnet group and stated that the national interest of the country is truly at the heart of its individuals.
He noted that “This event reflects the aspiration of Tunisia and young Tunisians to exceed the limits of the earth”
Mohamed Frikha, Chief Executive Officer of Telnet Group, have the assurance that other steps and efforts towards space exploration would soon follow this great step taken by the country to launch a satellite.
