The Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) and the National Space Science Agency of Bahrain (NSSA) are participating in China’s lunar exploration mission, Chang’e-7, by jointly developing a hyperspectral camera. In collaboration with the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the two agencies aim to deploy this instrument on the 2026 mission to investigate the distribution of water and mineral resources at the lunar south pole.

Prerequisites:

• Partnerships with established agencies 

• Technical expertise in universities and research centres to design and exploit experiments

• Identification of common needs with partners, identification of capabilities of different partners

• Procurement pathway

• Partner support as needed

• Data policy

• Cybersecurity, data protection, and continuity planning

Cost:

•Ballpark: USD 0.5M–50M (depending on contribution type: experiment vs payload vs full instrument)

• Includes: partnership agreements and diplomatic engagement, development of joint research or experiment, design and testing of payloads/instruments (e.g., CubeSats, sensors), integration with partner spacecraft or programme, participation in mission operations, researcher training and exchanges, dissemination of scientific results

Timeframe:

• Overall: 24–96 mo

• Phase: partnership scoping & agreements (6–12 mo), experiment or payload design & development (12–36 mo), integration & testing (6–18 mo), launch & commissioning (6–12 mo), mission operations & data analysis (12–24 mo)

Pros:

• Access to Technology and Expertise - Gain access to advanced technology and expertise from leading space nations.

• Reputation Increase - Builds international credibility and technical trust.

Considerations:

• Risk of Ineffectiveness - May play a secondary role with limited influence.

• Policy Dependency - Dependent on the policies and budgets of leading nations.