Morocco Plans to Expand Space Program with New Observation Satellites

Morocco has decided to launch additional observation satellites into space. To this end, it has selected a limited number of companies concerned, who will present their suggestions (expertise), reports the website israeldefenseco.il. To date, Morocco has two French-made electro-optical spy satellites in orbit called Mohammed VI (A and B). Designed by Thales Alenia Space (payload design) and Airbus (platform design) 3 for the Royal Center for Remote Sensing, one was launched on November 8, 2017 and the other on November 21, 2018. These two satellites allow Morocco to monitor the borders, control the movements of the Polisario Front and the rearmament of Algeria, among other things.

Morocco maintains close cooperation with Spain, the United States and France in the field of space research. Since 2019, it has also been cooperating with the space agency of the United Arab Emirates, as well as with the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences. With its space program launched in 1989, Morocco aims to manufacture engine, aircraft and satellite parts, increase the level of training and the number of image interpretation analysts, and promote its agricultural development.