Egypt, China ink USD 45 mn agreement to launch NileSat 2

Egypt will receive a USD 45 mn grant from China to launch phase two of its NileSat project under an agreement signed in Cairo yesterday, the Investment Ministry said in statement. Some of the satellite's components will be assembled in China, while others will be assembled locally, Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said, giving no indication to the exact percentage or timeline for the project. Egypt had previously received a USD 23 mn grant from China to establish a Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Centre as part of the project, for which the two sides had been conducting feasibility studies. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had earlier this year ratified legislation establishing a USD 100 mn space agency.