Local and international companies have expressed an interest in developing a spaceport in Kenya, with calls for a feasibility study.
The East African country currently undertakes no space research, but strong economic growth in the continent has…
Local and international companies have expressed an interest in developing a spaceport in Kenya, with calls for a feasibility study.
The East African country currently undertakes no space research, but strong economic growth in the continent has triggered commercial interest, according to Jay Gullish, spokesperson at aerospace business consultancy Futron.
“It is an early stage idea to generate interest in African space activities,” he told SatelliteFinance. “There is a fair bit of interest in the Virgin Galactic-type model, launching small numbers of people from point to point. I could also envision the spaceport being used for satellites and weather balloons.”
Futron presented a concept for an East African spaceport at a US conference for Kenyan scholars earlier this month, where it was agreed that a feasibility study was needed.
Gullish said a couple of companies had expressed interest in launching satellites from Kenya if the spaceport came to fruition, although he would not name which ones. He added that Kenya was attractively positioned for a spaceport due to its location near the equator and with no countries to the East.
Futron has incorporated advice from the consultancy firm Phesu Space in its Kenya spaceport research. In South Africa, Phezu Space has been exploring interest in a similar spaceport venture through its partnership with Ibizo Investments called Ibizo Phezu Space.
“An East African spaceport, coupled with cooperation addressing space advancements in South, West, and North Africa will be one catalyst for integrating space technology into this rising continent’s economic, political, and societal development,” said Allen Herbert, CEO of Phezu Space.
