National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) is the pioneering
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian institution in the field of
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Eart ...
and
space sciences
The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to space science:
Space science encompasses all of the scientific disciplines that involve space exploration and study natural phenomena and physical bodies occurring in oute ...
.
History
NARSS is an outgrowth of ''Egyptian Remote Sensing Center'', established in 1973 as an American-Egyptian joint projecttwere affiliated with the
Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. In 1994 the authority was established as an organization under the State Ministry of Scientific Research to promote the use of state of the art
space technology
Space technology is technology for use in outer space, in travel (''astronautics'') or other activities beyond Earth's atmosphere, for purposes such as spaceflight, space exploration, and Earth observation. Space technology includes space vehicles ...
for the development of the country and introducing High Tech capabilities to
regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land-use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. Regional planning is related to urban planning as it relates land ...
and other applications.
Activities
The sector of remote sensing works on the use of data provided by
earth observation satellites and airborne sensors to produce maps and spatial data for the evaluation and monitoring of
natural resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
s, natural hazards and environmental management.
The sector of space sciences is concerned with the development of sensors for earth observation to be mounted on satellites and with all the problems involved with monitoring communication with satellites and retrieving the information for processing, and ultimately on launching an Egyptian remote sensing satellite.
Facilities
Both the headquarters and the New Cairo space control station are located in Cairo. The receiving station is located in Aswan.
Satellites
EgyptSat 1 was a remote sensing satellite that was launched on 17 April 2007 at
Baikonur Cosmodrome. Control and communication was lost July 2010.The satellite weighed 100 kg and contained a multi-spectral imager for Earth observations.
EgyptSat 2 was an imaging satellite built by
RSC Energia
PAO S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (russian: Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya "Energiya" im. S. P. Korolyov ...
that launched on 16 April 2014 at
Baikonur Cosmodrome.
The satellite was lost in April 2015 when a dual failure in the flight control system occurred.
EgyptSat-A is a replacement imaging satellite launched on 21 February 2019 at
Baikonur Cosmodrome, paid for by insurance for the loss of EgyptSat 2.
Egyptian Space Program
The Egyptian space program started in the 1950s but it was not until the establishment of the Egyptian Space Council in 1998 and approval of a year later of the Egyptian Space Program within the National Authority of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences.
*Enabling Egypt to join the Space Technology Age through designing and manufacturing of small research and remote sensing satellites, acquiring technological knowledge and capabilities, and building required infrastructure to achieve self-capability to design & manufactures small satellites
*Transfer of advanced space technologies in communication, computers, programs, optics, sensors, new materials, command and control and energy to the Egyptian Scientific community.
*Drive innovation in earth observations and space sciences
*Utilizing of space technologies & applications in development plans.
*Acquiring national capabilities in Space Technology disciplines.
*Establishment of scientific & industrial base in advanced technology fields.
*Building human resource capabilities for space sciences fields.
*Coordinating and enhancing the cooperation between the research & industrial centers and space program through a national project
* To establish a scientific and technological base for space and high technology industries in Egypt and the development of the relevant human capacity and improve local stakeholders in remote sensing applications.
* To support decision makers in sustainable development by providing space images.
See also
*
List of government space agencies
This is a list of government agencies engaged in activities related to outer space and space exploration.
As of 2022, 77 different government space agencies are in existence, 16 of which have launch capabilities. Six government space agencie ...
References
External links
NARSS
{{authority control
Remote sensing research institutes
Research institutes in Egypt
Space program of Egypt
Government agencies of Egypt