Russia and Tanzania to launch joint space program (VIDEO)
Russia and Tanzania have agreed to launch a joint space program, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has said. Moscow will assist Dodoma in establishing its own national space agency and developing the infrastructure needed for a domestic space industry.
On Wednesday, Roscosmos and Tanzania’s Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology signed a framework memorandum on strategic partnership and cooperation on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit. The event has brought delegations from 48 African countries to Moscow this week.
“Tanzania is planning to establish its own space agency, and we are ready to provide our colleagues with expert and methodological support,” Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov told journalists. The Russian space agency has already stepped up cooperation with Tanzanian specialists in the field, with support from the Russian presidential administration, he added.
According to Bakanov, Dodoma is particularly interested in developing its own spacecraft and launching them into orbit aboard Russian rockets. Roscosmos has confirmed that Russia will launch Tanzania’s first Earth remote-sensing satellite in March 2027.
During the summit, Russian specialists demonstrated to the Tanzanian delegation the country’s capabilities in training cosmonauts and space industry specialists, as well as conducting scientific experiments in space.
The two sides also discussed sharing Earth remote-sensing data and establishing ground stations in Tanzania to receive such data. According to Bakanov, the African nation also plans to increase the number of students studying space-related disciplines at Russian universities.
Under the agreement, Russia will assist Tanzania in developing infrastructure for its space industry, while the two countries will exchange expertise and best practices in training space specialists. They have also agreed to establish joint working groups and develop road maps covering all areas of cooperation.
Moscow has been actively supporting African nations’ space ambitions. Last year, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) hailed Russia as a key partner in advancing its national space program. Pretoria “has received most of its support from the Russian Federation,” SANSA board chairman Patrick Ndlovu told Sputnik Africa at the time. Earlier that year, SANSA CEO Humbulani Mudau announced South Africa’s support for Russia’s proposal to establish a BRICS Space Council to strengthen space cooperation among member states.
In 2024, Zimbabwe announced plans to build its first spaceport with Russian assistance. The country also said it was in talks with Roscosmos about gaining access to Russia’s cosmonaut training system, among other areas of cooperation.
