Signal Kazakhstan to Expand Satellite Constellation

Summary

Kazakhstan announced plans to build an Earth observation satellite constellation of nine satellites by 2030 (with a potential expansion to 14) — six of its own plus additional satellites from Mongolia, the Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria. The government allocated more than 10 billion tenge to develop the next-generation communications satellite "KazSat-3R," which will replace the existing KazSat-3. Satellite assembly and testing take place at a specialized facility in Astana. The constellation is intended to provide high-resolution imagery for agriculture, environmental monitoring, emergency response, urban planning, and wildfire and resource tracking. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Development and AI Zhaslan Madiyev announced the plan at the "Space Days Kazakhstan" international forum, with future participation open to other countries.