Rwanda
Rwanda's space sector is anchored by public-sector presence.
Most of what's recorded for Rwanda falls under public-sector presence, alongside activity in commercial activity and orbital activity. Compared with East African countries captured on Spacehubs Africa tracked on the platform, it ranks 4 of 18 by recorded activity. (17 of 55 continent-wide.)
Coverage Rank
4 of 18
Captured Records
26
Benchmark Scope
East African countries captured on Spacehubs Africa
17 of 55 continent-wide
This is a platform-coverage benchmark, not an official national capability ranking.
Overview
Rwanda established the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) in 2020, with a mandate to develop the sector and apply space technologies to national socio-economic priorities. Rwanda's National Space Policy was published in March 2025. RwaSat-1, launched in 2019 prior to RSA's creation, provides Earth observation data supporting soil moisture analysis and land use assessment for the Ministry of Agriculture. In October 2024, RSA commissioned TRL Space to begin development of Rwanda's first hyperspectral satellite. Rwanda is investing in a satellite Assembly, Integration, and Testing hub to build domestic manufacturing capacity, with an ambition to become a regional satellite development centre. Rwanda hosted the Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC) in 2026. The Rwanda Space Innovation Ecosystem (RISA) programme, funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, supports private sector development.
International Collaborations
Active and high-signal collaboration records currently captured for this country.
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched Into Outer Space
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The Artemis Accords
Land Degradation an Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment in Eastern Africa
African Group on Earth Observations
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
Satellites
On-orbit footprint for Rwanda. Expand below for the full satellite history.
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