Rwanda recently filed an application to join the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (C0PUOS) at the ongoing 62nd COPUOS session in Vienna Austria.
COPUOS is the principal committee of the United Nations General Assembly set up in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for peace, security and development purposes. The Committee is responsible for reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, promoting space research programmes, making recommendations to the UN and addressing legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space.
Currently, COPUOS has 92 member states of which 19 are from Africa. Rwanda will become the 93rd member and the 20th African country to join the Committee.
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Rwanda to Become Latest African Country to Join Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
By Space in Africa - June 17, 2019
Rwanda to join UN COPUOS
Image Source: UNOOSA
Rwanda recently filed an application to join the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (C0PUOS) at the ongoing 62nd COPUOS session in Vienna Austria.
COPUOS is the principal committee of the United Nations General Assembly set up in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for peace, security and development purposes. The Committee is responsible for reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, promoting space research programmes, making recommendations to the UN and addressing legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space.
Currently, COPUOS has 92 member states of which 19 are from Africa. Rwanda will become the 93rd member and the 20th African country to join the Committee.
The space sector in Rwanda
In January 2019, the Rwandan government announced a long-term space program aimed at growing the country’s uptake of space technologies and boosting research and development of space science.
The plan was announced in a bid to harmonize ongoing government collaborations with foreign partners that are related to space science and technology.
The government had earlier in May 2018 signed a space cooperation agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and JAXA, to start training Rwandan engineers in fabricating small satellites and help grow the country’s space capabilities. Following the agreement, Rwanda is working in close collaboration with Japanese space institutions and Tokyo University to develop a CubeSat, train young Rwandan engineers, and kick-start its national space program.
Last month, the government unveiled a prototype of the first Rwandan cube satellite named RwaSat at the Transform Africa Summit. RwaSat which was developed in collaboration with Japan will be launched next month. The CubeSat will be used to monitor agricultural and water resources and for disaster management.
The Rwanda government invested an undisclosed amount in OneWeb, a global communications company building a constellation of satellites for providing internet connectivity around the world. The government further agreed with One Web for 10-year freemium internet connectivity across rural schools in Rwanda using the capacity of one of One Web’s precursor satellites before the country starts paying for satellite internet usage.
Rwanda is currently operating its space ambitions under the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority with ongoing plans to establish a space agency and implement its national space programmes. The government plans to locally manufacture small satellites in the near future.