Algeria renews its fleet of spy satellites with two new Chinese-made electronic eyes
- For defence, security and the development of the country's economy
- The important strategic partnership between Algeria and China
The Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria has very recently positioned two new powerful electro-optical eyes in space, officially named Alsat-3A and Alsat-3B.
The second of these, Alsat-3B, was launched into orbit on 31 January, while the first and twin of the previous one, Alsat-3A, was launched just two weeks earlier, on the 14th of last month. Morocco is in the process of renewing its two French-made reconnaissance devices, called Mohammed VI-A and Mohammed VI-B, which were launched into space in November 2017 and November 2018, respectively.
Although there is no official record, the two Algerian satellites must have been inserted at an altitude of approximately 670 kilometres, as they are the replacements for the Alsat-2A and 2B, manufactured in France by the then EADS Astrium, now Airbus Space Systems France, which were launched in July 2010 and September 2019, respectively.
The Alsat-3 satellites were produced by the powerful China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and placed in their respective orbits by Chinese Long March 2C or CZ-2C rockets. They are the result of a government-to-government contract signed in July 2023 as part of the second Strategic Cooperation Plan between China and Algeria, signed until 2026 by the then Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
Both launches took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, the first space base built by the Beijing government in the late 1950s and located in the Gobi Desert, in the north-west of the country, in what is known as Inner Mongolia.
For defence, security and the development of the country's economy
The information released by the Algerian authorities, whether the government of President Abdelmajid Tebboune, the Ministry of National Defence or the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), about the Alsat-3 twins is scarce. However, given the launcher used, the fact that they are Chinese-made and that they are remote sensing satellites, it is possible to deduce some of their main features.
Firstly, they probably belong to the CAST3000 satellite family or to a new generation of that range. In any case, they are designed to provide very high-resolution images in the visible and infrared spectra, but with a discrimination range of around 3-5 metres or perhaps slightly less. Their launch weight would be between 150 and 200 kilograms, so the launch vehicle would carry other unidentified payloads on board.
Without a doubt, the Alsat-3 satellites are dual-use spacecraft, dedicated to performing functions that benefit the development of Algeria's economy, with a focus on oil and gas fields and pipelines, as well as improving agricultural yields, city cadastres, and disaster prevention and mitigation, such as summer fires. However, they are specifically and directly intended to benefit national defence and security.
It is clear that the main purpose of the Alsat-3 programme is to improve the geospatial intelligence capabilities provided to the senior civil and military authorities in Algiers and, in particular, to increase specific knowledge of the military potential and movements of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.
In addition, the Ministries of Defence and the Interior will use them to strengthen surveillance of the extensive land borders – no less than 6,511 kilometres, 9.5 times the length of the border between Spain and France – since Algeria is the largest nation in Africa, 4.7 times larger than Spain. In particular, the electro-optical eyes of the Alsat-3 pair will focus on the 1,739 kilometres of border with the Alawite kingdom and the 39 kilometres with the disputed Sahara held by Rabat.
The important strategic partnership between Algeria and China
Given the international geostrategic situation, the new satellites will not neglect terrorist movements and illegal migration on its borders with Mali (no less than 1,328 kilometres), Tunisia (1,010 km), Libya (982 km), Niger (961 km) and Mauritania (461 km). In terms of its maritime borders, they will enable it to control its Exclusive Economic Zone, as well as the waters of its two North African neighbours – Morocco and Tunisia – and on the other side of the Mediterranean: Spain, France and Italy.
The fact that the Alsat-3A and 3B satellites are of the utmost importance in the military sphere is evident from the fact that General Saïd Chengriha, the senior military commander who holds the position of Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of Staff of the People's National Army (ANP), watched at least the 31 January launch from the satellite control and monitoring centre near Algiers.
A strong man and President Tebboune's right-hand man, General Chengriha watched the official broadcast of the launch live, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador Dong Guangli, the head of the 1st Military Region, General Ali Sidane, and the director general of the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), Professor Azzedine Oussedik.
Successfully placing two satellites into orbit from China in less than a month has been described by Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb's government as ‘a resounding success, an important achievement and a new step in the construction of a new and triumphant Algeria’. In the words of General Chengriha, the President of the Republic, who also holds the positions of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Minister of National Defence, has paid ‘special attention to the project and closely followed all its stages’.
Once Alsat-3B was placed in its orbital position, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Tebboune on the results of the important strategic partnership between the two countries, the growing mutual political trust and the fruitful practical cooperation between China and Algeria in the aerospace field, which leaves Russia, Algeria's traditional ally, in second place. The closest examples are the two Alsat-3 satellites and the 5-tonne AlComSat-1 secure communications satellite, launched from China in December 2017 and also manufactured by CAST, all three with the participation of Algerian engineers.