English | Français | Português
Photo: Africa Center
The Africa Center held a webinar entitled “The Space Domain and Africa’s Security Landscape” on October 31st regarding the explosion of activity in the space security domain in recent years. Dr. Nate Allen introduced the discussion with the following figures: “100: which is the number of kilometers above the earth’s surface where the space domain begins. This may seem a little bit too remote to figure much into how you confront the threats which are mostly based on earth but if there’s one thing that I hope you take away from this webinar, Africa’s security challenges do increasingly have an important and growing stake in this domain. $30,000: that is how much it cost the U.S. space shuttle to launch one kilogram of payload into space a little over a decade ago. Now, that cost is approximately $1,500, and will be approximately $500 when SpaceX’s starship enters into service. This represents a 60-fold decrease in just a little over a decade. 17: that is the number of African countries that have already launched satellites – a number, due to these rapid decreasing costs, that is likely to grow.” As indicated in the figures, Africa’s position in space is still burgeoning and has many unknowns. Dr. Allen and his panelists led a lively discussion that clarified the field’s complexities and the stakeholders involved.
The Founder and Managing Director of ‘Space in Africa,’ Mr. Temidayo Oniosun, looked to the future of the space domain with an emphasis on national security: “[w]hile space programs in Africa today are mostly focused on socio-economic benefits and sustainable development, the role of space technology in maintaining national security cannot be overemphasized.” After detailing existing and potential satellite uses, Mr. Oniosun argued that African countries rely on foreign powers’ space capabilities to ensure national security and that ongoing independence stems from local control. Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey, the Acting Director General of the Kenyan Space Agency and Africa Center alumnus, continued this discussion point by relaying Kenya’s main space domain objectives as national socio-economic development and increased national security. Kenya is using its earth observation capabilities for monitoring, planning and predictive analytics in agriculture, natural resources management, environmental monitoring, and disaster management, like flooding, among others. Kenya is also developing capabilities to monitor activities across its borders and activities at sea such as illegal fishing.
Dr. Zolana João, the incumbent General Director of Angola’s National Space Program Management Office, described the development of Angola’s space program. Despite their gains, Dr. João pinpointed areas where the program does not meet current needs, including a lack of high-resolution satellite imagery, and relayed that the African continent remains dependent on foreign satellites for communications and high-resolution imagery.
Each speaker addressed the rapidly changing climate and the importance of capacity building in the coming years. Although materials in the space domain are becoming cheaper, countries need to have a workforce ready to develop the program. Dr. João gave a civil engineering example: an inexperienced layman could build a bridge in 10 to 20 years, or a knowledgeable professional could do it in two to three. This highlights why African countries prioritize knowledge and expertise in space program development; investing in education and skilled professionals allows for faster, more efficient progress in critical infrastructure and technology. Dr. Allen highlighted that the industry’s nascency further necessitates capacity-building and added that these factors force countries to depend on one another. For this reason, it makes peace in space in everyone’s interest.
Following the webinar, Dr. Allen agreed to answer some reflection questions:
What do you hope alumni will take away from hearing about the Kenyan Space Agency and Angolan National Space Program?
I wanted our alumni and others to have the opportunity to hear from senior leaders who oversee their countries’ space programs. In my view, there’s no better way for participants to understand the security implications of space than to hear directly from those who are responsible for their countries’ space policies and strategies. I also think that it was important to hear from both civilian and military perspectives, so in that respect, Dr. Zolana João and Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey’s knowledge and skillsets complemented one another.
During the question-and-answer portion of the seminar, you commented on the parallels between cyber and space security challenges. Could you elaborate on your comment regarding how African nations will play a significant role in regulatory and policy leadership and international cooperation despite not leading in the space domain technologically?
I think the space domain parallels the cyber domain in that much of the technology underpinning it is by produced by companies or state-affiliated actors in technological superpowers such as the United States or China. As with information technology, I suspect that African countries will want to both limit risks to their infrastructure that stem from the militarization of space, maximize opportunities for technology transfer to develop as much of a locally-based space economy as possible, and maintain an ability to choose the type of technology that suits them. This gives them a distinct set of interests that, as we’ve seen to some extent on cyber issues, can translate into a lot of influence in global debates on how to govern and regulate technology. I imagine, for example, that African countries will insist that capacity building be a key component of any future international space cooperation agreements.
Strategic competition and the importance of cooperation in space were recurring topics. Can you expand on Dr. João’s assertion that Africans can play a crucial diplomatic role in keeping the space domain peaceful? How do our alumni and chapters become involved?
I think there are a lot of ways alumni can become involved. They could encourage their countries to implement the AU Space strategy, start space programs or encourage their countries to adopt space strategies. If they’re in the diplomatic community, they might work to find or craft common African positions on various aspects of space policy. They also ought to consider joining the Artemis Accords, which are a non-binding common set of principles intended to ensure the peaceful use of outer space.
Please click here for more details on the webinar and a link to the recording.
The initial quote by Dr. Nate Allen was edited for length and clarity.