Desire for Space: Towards a Sustainable Space Exploration in Africa and beyond, at the Service of Humankind

Last July, I visited the NASA Space Center in Houston, United States. It was a memorable family moment. It helped us understand the finitude of our lives. I left the visit with a newfound humility, fascinated by the Immensity, the insignificance of life and its brevity. Above all, I was captivated by the perfection of divine creation.

Nebulae, star births and deaths, parallel worlds, and multiverses. Space-times, satellites, and space missions. Also, American-Russian relations during the Cold War. I learned about famous programmes, telescopes, space shuttles, and both famous and lesser-known probes. “Apollo", “Curiosity”, “Hubble”, “Artemis”, “Galileo”, among others. My favourite mission name has obviously become “Psyche", launched quite recently, in 2023. The engineers, astronomers, and astronauts at this Agency have shown, for nearly 70 years, the endless genius of humankind.

Exploring our galaxy to learn more about ourselves and the essence of our bodies and souls.

Space exploration helps us unlock the secrets of our universe. It goes beyond science, which has taught us about quantum physics, the Big Bang, and the creation of galaxies. After my visit to NASA, I researched how matter forms. Since then, I’ve been eager to learn more about the origin of life. I want to understand how human, animal, plant, and mineral souls materialise on Earth. I learned that we are made of stardust, the same matter as the stars. This discovery was obvious to me, as if I always knew. Everything makes sense. How can we gain so much scientific knowledge about space but still find it hard to answer spiritual questions about the Source of all Creation? Knowledge has often been divided into categories. Maybe it’s time to break down these barriers and explore beyond just physical matter and beautiful math formulas.

Taking off from the world to search for meaning.

Another fundamental question haunted me, the one that haunts philosophers: Why? Why do humans set out with such strong determination and curiosity to explore new places?

The answer came to me naturally. It's simply human nature. The exploration of the unknown and its corollary, which is colonisation in all its forms, is in our DNA. We just need to do it with respect and consciousness. This characteristic of a coloniser can be activated or dormant, depending on our cultural environments. We clearly see that the people who did not choose to explore other continents, or who did not have the technology to do so, were simply colonised. African countries are living proof of this. The same is true for the peoples of Latin America, Oceania, etc. The exploration of our space therefore also serves expanding humanity. We must never stop exploring, learning, seeking, looking for what is happening in distant lands. Thus, we must not remain confined or attached to one land, one country, one continent.

Today, the eternal seekers and explorers that we are want to colonise other planets, to find other forms of life there. That's all that's left for contemporary humans, since there are no more peoples to colonise on Earth due to the evolution of human laws. Who knows? Maybe one day we will reach exoplanets outside our solar system and colonise them. The day we find humanoid forms or aliens, we could change our minds. This could be similar to what happened in past colonial times.

Since humans started exploring the universe, a real space economy has developed. This economy aims to benefit humankind. This has implications in terms of political economy, as well as the sustainable management of the life and death of satellites. 

Implications for public policy and international cooperation.

Critics of space exploration say that the money spent on these off-ground activities could help with problems on Earth. They believe it should be used for issues like jobs, health, and fighting poverty. I disagree. The space system is vital for tackling today's challenges, as the OECD Space Forum shows. Space observations give us over half of the climate data we need. They help us monitor climate change, measure sea surface temperatures, and track ocean colours (OECD, 2024). Space observations also allow to monitor land cover and ice caps, as well as law enforcement, for example at borders between countries. In developing countries, space technology helps track the state of the environment, forests, and the level of food production. It contributes to facilitating emergency interventions and natural disaster prevention. It also plays a key role in communication services. This includes satellite TV, radio, and financial transactions (OECD, 2024).

Space observation helps protect our planet. It can detect things like comets that might hit Earth's atmosphere.

Countries with space programmes work together to share knowledge. They focus on best practices in science, technology, public policy for the space economy, and sustainable development. This coordination is key. It supports mutual learning and helps countries work together for a space economy that benefits humanity. Multilateralism and cooperation help countries progress faster in research and space policies. They achieve more together than if they worked alone.

A quantum leap made by Senegal.

Today, I am thrilled to see Senegal, my home country, joining the table of space explorers and producers of space knowledge.

Indeed, on 16 August 2024, Senegal launched its first satellite, GAINDESAT-1A. GAINDESAT is the acronym for Automated Management of Environmental Data Information by Satellite. GAINDE also means "lion" in Wolof, which is the emblematic animal of Senegal. This was a historic event. It marked our entry into the group of countries that research and explore space. In 2023, Senegal set up the Senegalese Agency for Space Studies. Maram Kaïre leads this agency that promotes astronomy and space in Senegal.

GAINDESAT is a cubic nanosatellite, dimensioned at 10x10x10 cm and weighing 1 kg. It was designed by Senegalese engineers as part of the SENSAT space project. Prof. Gayane Faye, a teacher-researcher and Director of the Applied Remote Sensing Laboratory at Cheikh Anta Diop University, led this project. It is part of a partnership between Senegal and the University Space Centre of Montpellier (CSUM). GAINDESAT orbits low, around 500 km above Earth. It has a camera, a solar panel, a rechargeable battery, and a transceiver. The transceiver mainly collects environmental data. It sends this data to the control and reception centre at the City of Knowledge in Diamniadio for processing.

GAINDESAT has two functions: cartography through information collection, and imagery through Earth observation. Every day, GAINDESAT flies over Senegal twice. It gathers reliable and cost-effective data for the Directorate of Water Resources Management and Planning (DGPRE) at the Ministry of Hydraulics. It also collects data for agriculture, flood management, meteorology, and monitoring of irregular migration. GAINDESAT helps with research, innovation, and designing public policies using real-time data. A second Senegalese satellite is planned to be launched in 2025. 

The life and death of satellites, and space pollution

Satellite launches have experienced explosive growth in the last ten years. The number increased from 200 in 2013 to 2600 in 2023 (OECD, 2024). This rapid deployment of satellites also brings negative effects on space, Earth, and the atmosphere. These include stratospheric ozone depletion, air acidification, toxic waste dumping, water pollution, and light pollution. Satellite congestion, especially in low orbit, is one harmful effect of the race to Space. Is it acceptable to pollute space for our own benefit?

In particular, space debris pollution is a central concern. Space debris come from broken space objects and devices. It can result from collisions, explosions, or anti-satellite tests. They can also be pieces of space launchers or abandoned satellites drifting in space (European Space Agency, 2024). Space debris has different sizes measured in millimeters, centimetres, or metres.

Low-orbit satellites, such as GAINDESAT, often break apart in Earth's atmosphere. This process creates debris and disrupts the atmosphere. Sometimes, these satellites are just left abandoned. High-orbit and geostationary satellites are sent to a sort of satellite cemetery located at higher altitudes. This gives me chills when I think about it. Humans have been polluting space for centuries, just as they do on Earth. The usual suspects of space pollution are still the same as on Earth: the United States, Europe, China, Russia, and Japan.

The consequences can be severe, and our perception of risk can be altered. Only debris larger than 1 cm is traceable, and that makes up just 4% of all debris (OECD, 2024).

GAINDESAT has a lifespan of 5 years. When it dies, we must think about how its pulverisation or lack of it will affect the space ecosystem and Earth. I hope that Senegal has put in place an end-of-life strategy for GAINDESAT, and I am interested in knowing what has been planned or not in this regard. We are all responsible.

In the Universe, we, Earth, are just a small dot, a grain of sand. At this scale, we are therefore as vulnerable as the small island developing states (SIDS) on Earth. A small changing vibration in a galaxy could destroy our solar system.

Humans must explore space sustainably and remember that every action has consequences. He must avoid creating new problems that he will have no control over. The laws of the Universe and quantum physics cannot be changed. They are ruled by a force beyond our control.

In a thousand years or even less - and we will no longer be here - perhaps humans will be touring the solar system and beyond.

In the meantime, my dream is to go to the International Space Station. When I visited NASA, I told Seyda and Ahmadou that if I ever get the chance, I won’t hesitate to jump on a space shuttle. 

"Man must rise above the Earth — to the limits of the atmosphere and beyond – only then will he fully understand the world in which he lives." Attributed to Socrates.