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How Egypt’s New Space Agency Will Benefit The Poor

February 24, 2014

Egypt is going space, and despite criticism, here is why this decision is the right one given the country’s current economic and social issues. By Mostafa Rizk, contributor, EgyptianStreets.com A few weeks ago when Egyptian Streets reported that the government planned to establish a national space agency in the coming months, the news was met with overwhelming cynicism and even outrage. The knee-jerk responses to any talk of space whether on ES or other Egyptian websites is always a variation of: “We should worry about what’s on the ground before we worry about space”. This makes sense. In a country with 40% of the populace living below the poverty line, an economy on the rocks and a serious security problem, launching projectiles into space doesn’t seem like an ideal solution to any of those things. However, there is a lot more to the space industry than what first meets the eye and though it may appear to be the indulgent of some nerdy elitist fantasy, the primary goal of this investment is to produce technology that directly benefits Egypt’s most impoverished, and in the long run, stimulates and diversifies the…


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