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“The earthquake that struck the High Atlas region on September 8, 2023 demonstrated the importance of space capabilities in responding to crises and natural disasters. If the capacities mobilized in the emergency were international in nature, this disaster also served as a reminder of the importance of sovereignty, with the activation of the international charter on space and major disasters at the request of the United Nations on behalf of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Skills to raise public awareness of space issues,” analyzes Mathieu Luinaud, economics teacher at Sciences Po Paris and expert in the space sector, in a column entitled “Why Mohammed VI. embarked on the space adventure,” published in the French newspaper L’Opinion.
Read: Spy satellites: Morocco leaves France for Israel
He pointed out that Morocco was turning to space long before the strong and devastating earthquake, noting that the Kingdom was among the leading powers on the African continent in terms of development. “This is in particular the role of the Royal Center for Remote Sensing Space (CRTS), which acts as the national space agency and manages the dissemination of satellite images in the country,” he said, explaining that “the country counts a sovereign capacity in Earth observation thanks to the dual program of the Mohammed-VI A and B satellites, launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively, one of which is intended for military espionage purposes and the other has a more civilian orientation. »
Read: Will Morocco launch new satellites?
Today, the space industry appears to be an effective tool for development but also for the fight against terrorism in Africa. “At the national level and in an economy where agriculture and fisheries account for about 12% of GDP, more intensive use of geospatial data offers undeniable prospects for productivity gains for the country, with better control of seeds and fisheries resources from a dual efficiency perspective.” and Conservation for the country,” assures the author of “The Space Industry” in the collection Que sais-je? He will add: “The problems are also related to national security. The Polisario Front’s surveillance needs in Western Sahara and strained diplomatic relations with neighboring Algeria justify sovereign surveillance capabilities, not unrelated to the announced renewal of the Kingdom’s two spy satellites, which were the subject of a new contract in mid-2023. »
Read: Morocco will have its own space station
At the end of last summer, Morocco reportedly decided to entrust the production of its next spy satellite – the Ofek-13, the latest model launched by Israel – to the company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), thereby excluding the French duo Airbus Defense &. Space and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), which designed the Mohammed-VI A satellite launched in 2017, French newspaper La Tribune reported in December. “This decision, which may be surprising in its distancing from the historic French partner, can also be explained by the recent rapprochement between Morocco and Israel, of which the IAI company was one of the greatest beneficiaries through the signing of a cooperation agreement, which consisted in particular “The construction of a competence center at the University of Rabat to develop space research and development as well as the training of Moroccan experts,” explains the space expert.
For reading: Video: Rewatch the launch of the Mohammed VI-B satellite
At this rate, he predicts, Morocco could become “a space industry country.” “The anticipation of this new center of excellence is just one of the advantages that Morocco could have to ultimately become a country of the space industry. At the production level, its geographical proximity to Europe and the presence of easily accessible trade routes can make it a preferred choice for locating production sites, offering, among other things, reduced production costs. This trend is already at work in the automotive industry, where large manufacturers are making huge investments in local production chains, thus achieving higher profit margins that can then be reinvested in research and development, a dynamic that is now favored by free trade agreements that are multiplying and multiplying quick and simplified administrative procedures,” concludes Mathieu Luinaud.
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