China hands over data-receiving satellite station to Namibia

Chinese officials on Thursday handed over a satellite ground station to Namibia outside the southern African nation's capital Windhoek, Chinese state media reported, marking another step forward in China's expanding space programme overseas.

The Chinese-built ground data receiving station will "significantly enhance Namibia's ability to receive and process remote-sensing data from satellites," the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

Namibia’s ministry of education and innovation said the station will boost the country’s capacity to receive and process satellite data for disaster management, national security and sustainable development, according to a post on X social media.

It termed the station as a “game-changer for Namibia’s technological advancement”.

China has been building alliances and widening its space footprint on the continent, offering satellites, laboratories, and monitoring stations.

"Namibia will fully own the satellite ground station and operate it independently," Zhao Weiping, the Chinese ambassador to Namibia, was quoted by Xinhua as saying on Thursday.

But Chinese experts will continue to provide technical support to the 14 local technicians they helped train, he said.

A second phase of the facility is also in the works, the envoy added.