Tunisian satellite Challenge ONE was launched today from the Baikonur base in south-central Kazakhstan aboard the Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket which was also carrying other satellites, Xinhua reported.
Challenge ONE was designed and developed exclusively by Tunisian labour and is a small satellite that weighs about three kilogrammes, and will be used in the Internet of Things technology.
It will allow communication and data exchange in many areas including control, transport, agriculture, and logistics by receiving data and sending it to suppliers around the world.
Chief Executive Officer of Telnet Group, Mohamed Frikha, said: “It is the fruit of a whole generation of culture and knowledge as well as the work of 20 Tunisian engineers supervised by Telnet.”
He also said that this satellite is only the first step towards space which will be followed by others.
The event makes Tunisia the sixth African country to launch a satellite.