The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has appointed a three-firm consortium to assess the feasibility of developing a commercial spaceport on the country’s coast, potentially enabling satellite launches from Kenyan soil for the first time in nearly four decades.
UAE-based infrastructure advisory firm Salience Consulting will lead the consortium, overseeing financial, legal, environmental and social assessments, according to a company statement. French space engineering firm SpaceDreamS will lead technical feasibility and systems engineering, while Gauff Consultants Africa will handle civil and infrastructure engineering.
The consortium partners met in Nairobi this week as stakeholder consultations began.
The study will assess potential sites, launch infrastructure, market demand, environmental and social impacts, and the project’s economic and financial viability. It will also examine value for money and options for private-sector participation.
Salience said the findings would inform KSA’s decision on whether and how to proceed.
Earlier KSA documents identify the Kipini area of Tana River County, between Malindi and Lamu, as the proposed location. The agency is evaluating two coastal sites.
The appointment follows a funding agreement signed on 1 October by KSA director general Major General Hillary Kipkosgey and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Directorate director general Eng Kefa Seda, at the National Treasury.
At the signing , Seda described the proposed spaceport as a national investment that could position Kenya in the global space economy. He cited the country’s equatorial location, east-facing coastline and expanding coastal infrastructure as key advantages.
The project is structured as a PPP, with private capital expected to fund construction. If approved, the consortium will support the procurement of a private-sector partner through to financial close and help build capacity within KSA and the PPP Directorate.
The proposed spaceport is one of 13 priority infrastructure projects Kenya presented to investors at the Global Infrastructure Cooperation Conference in Seoul in September.
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