Senegal’s first satellite has been successfully launched into orbit, adding the move marked a major step towards the West African country’s “technological sovereignty”. Senegal’s public broadcaster RTS said the satellite was designed and manufactured by Senegalese engineers, in partnership with the French Montpellier University Space Centre. The broadcaster said a Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg base and launched a number of satellites, including the GAINDESAT-1A, into orbit. Is Senegal’s first satellite a move by African countries towards being technologically independent?
