Via Satellite
• Jeffrey Hill
Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited has contracted Hughes Network Systems to provide access to its Jupiter scalable gateway system for the upcoming NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B satellites. The infrastructure will support satellite services targeting markets across Africa.
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Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited has contracted Hughes Network Systems to provide access to its Jupiter scalable gateway system for the upcoming NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B satellites. The infrastructure will support satellite services targeting markets across Africa.
A Trans Air Cargo DC-8-73CF was damaged in a runway excursion at Kinshasa, followed days later by a Serve Air Boeing 737-300 freighter whose main landing gear apparently collapsed during takeoff from Kindu. Congolese investigators are probing the 737 accident, in which the aircraft sustained serious damage.
Eight African nations have signed the Artemis Accords, expanding participation in the U.S.-led framework for lunar exploration. The agreements create an opening for deeper U.S.-Africa space cooperation, but the signatories still need a practical pathway from political alignment to meaningful lunar roles.
A Congolese inquiry has disclosed that Trans Air’s 56-year-old DC-8 freighter was returning to Kinshasa for an emergency landing before it left the runway. Investigators have provided additional details on the occurrence, but the full circumstances remain unresolved.
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Nigeria is advancing a satellite-infrastructure upgrade with Thales Alenia Space selected to develop NigComSat-2A, a geostationary communications satellite intended to strengthen digital connectivity across Africa. The program is accompanied by a planned four-satellite Earth-observation constellation, broadening Nigeria’s national space capabilities.
Djibouti has become the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords, expanding the U.S.-backed framework for cooperation in space exploration. The State Department simultaneously announced a new program intended to provide additional benefits to participating countries.
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Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves said intense competition among Gulf carriers is delaying the pass-through of higher jet-fuel costs to passengers, though fares could rise next year. He also cited Middle East conflict risks and a shortage of widebody aircraft as constraints on the airline’s expansion plans.
Royal Air Maroc is expanding its cargo capability with additional A321 freighter capacity obtained through a wet lease. The move gives the Moroccan flag carrier access to freighter lift while relying on an external operator for the aircraft and associated operating resources.
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