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Sunday, November 8, 2026 · UTC
Space Awareness

Africa's satellites: 69 launched by 18 countries, with ownership concentrated in a few

Space in Africa says seven countries own 47 of them; North Africa leads, and most are for Earth observation.

Marcus Adeyemi
Defense & Security Correspondent
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Africa's satellite fleet grows, with North Africa leading
Africa's satellite fleet grows, with North Africa leading AI illustrationhow this picture was made
LAGOS, Nigeria, Oct. 23, 2026 - Seven African countries own 47 of the 69 satellites the continent has launched, according to an analysis published by Space in Africa.[1] A separate tally by Space Hubs Africa also counts 69 satellites, launched by 18 countries.[2] By that tally, North Africa leads with 30 satellites across five countries,[3] followed by East Africa with 13 across seven countries[4] and Southern Africa with 13 across two.[5] West Africa has nine across three countries,[6] and two Pan-African satellites have been launched.[7] About 64% are for Earth observation,[8] and the most recent launch was Algeria's AlSat-3B on 30 January 2026.[9] Impact Insight. Counting who operates which satellite is the base data for tracking orbital traffic and collision risk. The link to planetary defense is indirect: more countries running satellites means more objects to follow in low orbit, and more nations with a stake in keeping near-Earth space safe.
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What this stands on
  1. Space in Africa stated that seven African countries own 47 of the continent’s total 69 satellites. · Space in Africa
  2. As of 2026-10-31, Africa has launched 69 satellites across 18 countries. · spacehubs.africa
  3. North Africa has 30 launched satellites across 5 countries. · spacehubs.africa
  4. East Africa has 13 launched satellites across 7 countries. · spacehubs.africa
  5. Southern Africa has 13 launched satellites across 2 countries. · spacehubs.africa
  6. West Africa has 9 launched satellites across 3 countries. · spacehubs.africa
  7. 2 Pan-African satellites have been launched. · spacehubs.africa
  8. 64% of launched African satellites are for Earth Observation. · spacehubs.africa
  9. Algeria launched AlSat-3B on 2026-01-30, the most recent African satellite launch. · spacehubs.africa
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