Senegal has marked an historic milestone with the successful launch of its first satellite from CaliforniaUSA.

It has become one of just 12 African nations with their own surveillance and telecommunications satellites in space.

The country’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said the move marks a major step towards Senegal’s “technological sovereignty”.

The nanosatellite named GAINDESAT-1A built by Senegalese engineers in collaboration with France’s Montpellier University Space Centre, was launched into orbit, together with 115 others, and will be used to collect data for various state agencies including those dealing with water resources, civil aviation, and meteorology.