China-funded prototype satellites delivered to Egypt

Two China-funded prototype satellites of the MisrSat II satellite project were delivered to the Egyptian side on Sunday, making Egypt the first African country with the capacity to assemble, integrate and test satellites.

During the delivery ceremony held at the Egyptian Space Agency near the country's New Administrative Capital, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat thanked China for supporting and cooperating with the agency, and being a "strategic partner and friend" of Egypt.

She noted that the China-funded MisrSat II satellite and satellite assembly, integration and test (AIT) center has greatly boosted Egypt's capacities in satellite research, development, measurement and control, making Egypt a leading African country in the aerospace field.

"The advanced devices and effective technology we saw today are important for Egypt as they open a gateway for cooperation with Africa in this field," she said.

Describing the MisrSat II satellite project as another landmark outcome of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Egypt, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said the project has laid a solid foundation for Egypt's space industry and will promote the development of space technology on the African continent.

According to the Chinese ambassador, it is the first time that China has completed a large-scale overseas test on an entire satellite and delivered a satellite cooperation project overseas.

"Egypt is the first African country to have complete satellite assembly, integration and testing capabilities," Liao said.