Is there hope for Egypt’s first space odyssey?
The establishment of an Egyptian space agency is not too distant a dream, as several scientists and politicians are promoting an Egyptian law to promote such an agency.
CAIRO — The Egyptian dream of establishing a national space agency has often enticed the country’s scientists. Yet, after the June 30 Revolution, the idea has again been revived. The National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), a center affiliated with the Ministry of Scientific Research, submitted a draft law in September 2013 to then-interim President Adly Mansour to create an Egyptian space agency.
In 2013 and 2014, Essam Heggy, a scientific adviser to Mansour, said the presidency was formulating a draft law to establish an Egyptian space agency. He added that the goal of this agency would be to study Egypt’s water resources, study climate change and search for available subterranean water sources.
Speaking at a December 2013 NARSS workshop, Heggy said the presidency had set a number of priorities, including the establishment of an Egyptian space agency. During a January 2014 interview broadcast on MBC Egypt, Heggy reiterated these claims, stating that the establishment of an Egyptian space agency would be announced within two months, by late March 2014.
Heggy previously worked for NASA. He was appointed by presidential decree as Mansour's adviser for scientific affairs in July 2013, before current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi accepted his resignation in June 2014. His resignation was not attributed to any apparent political reasons.
