Kenya Space Agency tours Chinese satellite firms and university to explore cooperation

A Kenya Space Agency (KSA) delegation led by Director General Maj Gen Hillary Kipkosgey visited Chinese space companies and institutions in Shandong and Beijing between 12 and 16 October 2026, to explore partnerships.

In Beijing the delegation met Emposat, which provides telemetry, tracking and command services and ground stations, on 15 October. It also visited Beihang University, where nine Kenyan students are enrolled, including in aerospace engineering. On 16 October it toured MinoSpace, a satellite maker producing optical and synthetic aperture radar satellites, and discussed capacity building, satellite data access and upstream and downstream capabilities.

Earlier stops in Shandong included STAR.VISION, Orienspace's rocket factory and Haiyang Oriental's spaceport platforms. Talks with Kenya's ambassador to China also covered AI-based processing of satellite-derived data with STAR.VISION. No agreements were announced.

Why it matters: The visits point to possible routes for Kenya to obtain satellite data, ground-segment expertise and aerospace training. Any follow-through would affect the supply of Earth observation data and skills available to Kenyan practitioners.