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.
The Nile and the Sinai Peninsula are pictured in this handout photo courtesy of Col. Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, who is photographing Earth from the International Space Station, taken on March 20, 2013. REUTERS/CSA/Col. Chris Hadfield/Handout (EGYPT - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RT
The Nile and the Sinai Peninsula are pictured in this handout photo courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency's Col. Chris Hadfield, who's photographing Earth from the International Space Station, taken March 20, 2013. - REUTERS/CSA/Col. Chris Hadfield/Handout
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Mohamed Saied
@MohamedSaiedF
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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.

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