Nigeria’s next satellites come with a local manufacturing plan

Nigeria is planning to assemble some of the ground equipment needed for its next two communications satellites, as it seeks to build more local capacity around its space programme.

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) has selected US satellite communications company Hughes Network Systems’ JUPITER ground system to support the NIGCOMSAT-2A and 2B satellites, expected for launch in 2028 and 2029. Hughes will provide technical and engineering support for a facility in Nigeria that will assemble satellite terminals.

The terminals, which include antennas and other equipment that transmit signals to satellites and receive them on Earth, will form part of the ground infrastructure needed to operate the new satellites. The plan would move Nigeria beyond simply owning and operating satellites towards making some of the equipment needed to turn them into connectivity services.

If the facility succeeds, Nigeria could build local expertise in satellite hardware, create a base for servicing terminals across Africa and reduce its dependence on imported ground equipment. The harder question is whether assembly will grow into a sustainable industry or remain tied to one government-backed satellite programme.

NIGCOMSAT said the project focuses on the equipment that allows satellites to communicate with Earth: terminals, dishes, cables, and related ground infrastructure designed to work with the new satellites.

Hughes will develop the ground segment, while Thales Alenia Space and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will build the satellites. The objective is to have the new ground systems, terminals and local assembly capability ready ahead of the satellite launches.

The move represents a potential shift in how Nigeria approaches satellite infrastructure. Instead of buying satellites and importing much of the equipment needed to use them, the country is trying to capture more value locally by developing the capacity to assemble at least part of the ground equipment.

“Being contracted by NIGCOMSAT for this strategic national program reflects the strength, flexibility, and proven performance of our JUPITER platform,” Anshu Vij, Managing Director, EMEA at Hughes, said in a joint statement with NIGCOMSAT on Monday. “This collaboration will help NIGCOMSAT deliver resilient, high-throughput connectivity while laying the foundation for future growth, innovation, and digital inclusion across Nigeria.”

The JUPITER system will support services across Ka-, Ku- and C-bands, allowing NIGCOMSAT to deploy capacity for broadband, enterprise and government users in Nigeria and the wider region. Preparation is expected to begin in 2026, with the ground system and local manufacturing footprint developed ahead of the planned satellite launches.

“Each satellite launch must have a ground station,” a NIGCOMSAT spokesperson told TechCabal, explaining that terminals used for the new satellites cannot simply be carried over from NigComSat-1R as that satellite nears the end of its operational life.

When NigComSat-1 launched in 2007, Nigeria established a Master Control Station in Abuja, with a backup tracking facility in Kashgar, China. But the satellite suffered a solar-array failure in 2008 and was eventually de-orbited, leaving much of the newly established ground infrastructure without an active satellite to support.

Its replacement, NigComSat-1R, was launched in 2011. The Abuja Master Control Station was recalibrated and upgraded with new baseband equipment, tracking antennas and satellite-control software. NIGCOMSAT also expanded its ground infrastructure with facilities in Lagos, Kaduna and Gombe to support C-, Ku- and Ka-band services.

But satellite ground infrastructure has not always translated into strong commercial utilisation. The expansion of subsea fibre networks and relatively low demand for NigComSat-1R capacity limited the commercial potential of some of the infrastructure. NIGCOMSAT subsequently explored services such as Teleport-as-a-Service and adapted parts of its ground infrastructure to support a wider range of satellite operators and orbits.

The Hughes deal now adds another layer to that evolution: manufacturing.

NIGCOMSAT Managing Director Jane Egerton-Idehen said the partnership could support local manufacturing, innovation, job creation, economic diversification and greater control over Nigeria’s satellite communications infrastructure.

“The JUPITER platform will allow us to efficiently deploy capacity today, while scaling to meet the country’s long-term connectivity needs,” she said in the statement.

The proposed manufacturing facility could also have significance beyond NIGCOMSAT’s own satellites. That, however, will depend on what “local manufacturing” ultimately means in practice.

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