One by one, the satellites—each a hodgepodge of solar panels and other gadgets—were detached from the mothership.

Just one hour ago, on August 16, they lifted off from Earth. Most of the 116 satellites on the launch vehicle were designed and built by Western countries and companies, but one of them is different.

This is the first such spacecraft developed by the African country of Senegal.

a small CubeSats Named GaindeSAT-1A, it will provide Earth observation and telecommunications services. Senegal’s president called it a big step towards “technological sovereignty.”

The cost of launching a satellite dropped significantly in recent years” said Kwaku Sumah, founder and managing director of space consultancy Spacehubs Africa.

“Cost reduction opens up the market,” he added. "These smaller countries ... now have an opportunity to get involved."

As of now, a total of 17 African countries More than 60 satellites enter orbit Like Senegal, Djibouti and Zimbabwe have also seen their first satellites become operational in the past 12 months. Dozens more African satellites are expected to enter orbit in the coming years.

However, the African continent currently does not have its own space launch facilities.

Furthermore, powers in other parts of the world are arguably using the emerging African space program as a means to build relationships and assert their geopolitical dominance more broadly.

Can more African countries chart their own paths into orbit and beyond?

"It is very important for African countries to have their own satellites," Mr Souma said. He believes this means better control of the technology and easier access to satellite data.

He added that the information could help Africans monitor crops, detect threats from extreme weather such as floods, or improve telecommunications in remote areas.

But venturing into space is still seen as an "elite thing" in Africa, said Jessie Ndaba, co-founder and managing director of Astrofica Technologies, a South African space technology company that designs satellites. She added that business overall at her company remains "very slow."

In view of the huge Threats to the African Continent She suggested that space technology should be used to monitor food and resources due to climate change. By contrast, an African space race to land on the moon or Mars won't help: "We have to look at the challenges Africa faces and find ways to solve them."

For Sarah Kimani of the Kenya Meteorological Service, satellites have proven invaluable in helping her and her colleagues track dangerous weather conditions. She recalls using Earth Observation Data provided by EumetsatThe European satellite agency monitors a major dust storm in March. "We were able to tell the direction of this dust storm," she said.

Later this year, she and her colleagues will begin receiving data from the latest-generation Eumetsat spacecraft, which will provide wildfire and lightning monitoring tools, among other benefits. “This will help us improve the early warning system,” added Ms Kimani, noting that the cooperation with Eumetsat was “very efficient and effective”.

Meteorological threats from climate change can emerge quickly—from major storms to extreme droughts. “The intensity of these hazards ... is changing,” Ms. Kimani said, noting that satellite data can be updated every five minutes or less, which will help meteorologists track such phenomena.

She also believes Kenya, which put its first operational Earth observation satellite into orbit last year, will benefit from having more weather spacecraft of its own in the future. The same is true for other African countries. “Only Africa understands its needs,” Ms. Kimani said.

Temidayo Oniosun, managing director of market research and consulting firm Space in Africa, said that many African countries’ space projects are still in their infancy and rely on foreign technology and experts.

Some countries have sent students and engineers abroad to learn about space technology. "The problem is that when these people come back, there are no laboratories, there are no facilities for them to use," Mr Onyoson said.

Senegal’s new satellite was built by Senegalese technicians. While not wanting to detract from their significant achievement, it is worth noting that the satellite was developed through a collaboration with a French university and that the spacecraft was launched from California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket .

Europe, China and the United States are all involved in numerous African space programs. Onyoson said this would undoubtedly help get African technology into orbit, but it also served as an "important diplomatic tool". He admits it makes him "a little worried."

Observers say African space programs are about more than just giving African countries access to space - they are also, in a way, an arena for some of the world's most advanced nations. Great powers compete with each other.

Mr Sumah is positive about the situation. "We can ... use these different forces to compete with each other to get the best deal," he said.

Julie Klinger of the University of Delaware said both U.S. and Chinese officials considered the "strategic" implications of participating in Africa's space endeavors.

She added: “This does bring about an urgent need to update global treaties and strategies around maintaining a peaceful and controlled space environment.”

But there are opportunities. Dr. Klinger pointed out that space launches from the equatorial region - This may not require as much fuel – could mean African spaceports will play an important role in the coming decades.

For example, the Luigi Broglio Space Center, an old Italian-built spaceport that includes an offshore platform off the coast of Kenya, may one day be brought back into service. The last launch was in the 1980s.

Ultimately, we expect African countries to see increased space activity. “We are currently developing nearly 80 satellites,” Mr. Oniosun said. “I think the future of this industry is very bright.”