(Ecofin Agency) - Egyptian Space Agency, in tandem with China National Space Administration, kicked off the construction of the MisrSat-II satellite. This was during the fourth China-Arab States Expo held from September 5 to 8 in à Ningxia, China.

Fundraising for the project was closed in January this year and the Chinese government contributed a total of $140 million. The new space equipment will help Egypt implement its development plans in many areas, according to Ahmed al-Rafie, the project manager. He said Egyptian engineers and their Chinese counterparts will also collaborate in the construction of Egypt’s Assembly, Integration and Testing center.

“The design phases will be carried out in parallel in Egypt and China, but the assembly and integration of the satellite will be done in Egypt at Egyptian Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Center. This will provide the Egyptian side with experience in the development of satellite space systems,” said Mr al-Rafie.

According to Liao Liqiang (pictured), China's ambassador to Egypt, at the end of the MisrSat-II project, Egypt will be the very first African country to have complete satellite assembly, testing, and integration capabilities. It will also be the first-ever successful space cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Let’s note the construction phase is expected to last 35 months and MisrSat-II will have a 5-year lifetime.