Italy runs a tracking station in Malindi, Kenya. Credit: ASI

The Italian Space Agency, which operates a tracking station in Kenya, will give the country access to geospatial data and training in satellite systems.

Under an agreement signed on 28 March, six Kenyan scientists and engineers will travel to Rome to help build MIOSAT, an Earth-observation satellite. Italy will also set up a centre in Kenya to give scientists there access to Earth-observing data. The project is expected to cost the Italian government some €200,000 (US$315,000).

The agreement is a major step forward for Kenya's nascent space programme, says Zachary Mwaura, the country's secretary for defence. “This is something that we have really, really been looking forward to,” he says.