Space
Algeria
Space launch site(s)
none; note - in 1947, Algeria commenced operations of a French military rocket test facility referred to as the Centre Interarmées d’Essais d’Engins Spéciaux (CIEES or Interarmy Special Vehicles Test Center); this site represented Africa's inaugural rocket launch location and remained operational until 1967
Space agency/agencies
Algerian Space Agency (Agence Spatiale Algérienne, ASAL; founded in 2002) (2025)
Space program overview
possesses a national space policy and a space research initiative aimed at fostering domestic development, resource management, mastering space technologies, and enhancing national sovereignty; designs and operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; engages in the research and development of various space-related technologies, including satellites and their payloads, communications, RS, instrumentation, image processing, and geo-spatial data; collaborates with multiple international space agencies and industries, including those from Argentina, China, France, Germany, India, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, the UK, and various African nations; a member of the African Space Agency and the Arab Space Coordination Group (2025)
Key space-program milestones
2002 - the inaugural remote sensing (RS) satellite (Alsat-1A) was developed in collaboration with the UK and launched by Russia
2006 - a national space program was officially announced
2010 and 2016 - the first Algerian-designed and -manufactured RS satellites (Alsat-2A and 2B) were launched by India
2017 - the first communications satellite (Alcomsat-1) was created in partnership with and launched by China; a 2040 national space strategy was unveiled
2026 - RS satellite (AlSat-3A) was launched by China