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National Commission for Outer Space Affairs

Under the national space programme, directed by the National Commission for Outer Space Affairs, whose role is to coordinate the activities of the various ministerial departments and organizations concerned with outer space and to generate media awareness of the benefits to be acquired from exploiting the opportunities offered by space technologies, the activities of the different actors involved have been federated by the setting up of five discussion groups, on legal and regulatory aspects; space techniques and technologies; space telecommunications; Earth observation and remote sensing; and training and awareness-raising.

These groups have been formed with the aim of bringing about the participation of the largest possible number of institutions having an interest or expertise in the topic of space.

The discussions held for the purpose of drawing up the national space programme have involved not only governmental departments but also schools and universities, public and private enterprises, recognized experts, associations of civil society and trade unions.

Challenge ONE

Telnet Group announced on 26 April 2018 that they will create an aerospace centre (Sfax aerospace Valley) and launch the construction of the 1st Tunisian satellite and drones as a part of its co-operation with Japanese and French enterprises. On the fringes of an international forum on “new entrepreneurship horizon” organised in Sfax on April 25-26, Telnet CEO Mohamed Frikha said that the new center will be achieved as a part of a tripartite partnership between Telnet, the Toulouse Aerospace Valley (France) and the Sfax Techno-park which will house the center.

Frikha pointed out that the Tunisian satellite will be ready by 2020 and will be called “Challenge 1.” Reporting is thuderously silent on the question of the primary mission capability of this spacecraft. The selection of the launch vehicle indicates it is a LEO payload. Tunisian company TELNET signed on 01 April 2019 with the Russian operator of commercial launches of the launch vehicle Soyuz-2, Glavkosmos Launch Services, a contract to launch the first Tunisian satellite. The Tunisian group TELNET organized at the Center for Digital Research in the city of Sfax the signing ceremony for the launch of its first satellite Challenge ONE in 2020 on the Russian Soyuz-2 carrier rocket. The signing ceremony was attended by Alexander Serkin, General Director of Glavkosmos Launch Services, and Mohamed Friha, General Director of TELNET.

The Tunisian satellite launch project is part of research and innovation aimed at testing new concepts and technologies. It is planned that the implementation of this program will continue, the Tunisian company intends to increase the grouping of its satellites in total to 30. On the occasion of the signing of the contract, the digital research center of Sfax concluded a cooperation agreement in the field of aerospace industry with the Russian side.

TELNET is a group of companies founded in 1994, certified ISO9001 and TL9000, recognized for its skills and expertise in research and development in product engineering, electronics and mechanical engineering in various fields such as: telecommunications, multimedia, energy, electronic and aerospace. GK Launch Services is a commercial launch operator. The company was created following a decision by Roscosmos and is authorized to conclude commercial contracts for launching spacecraft using SOYUZ-2 family launchers from Russian space ports.