Ahead of the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China has significantly enhanced meteorological cooperation with Africa through its Fengyun satellite program. Since 2018, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) has provided essential weather data to 30 African nations, strengthening disaster response and forecasting capabilities across the continent.

The CogniSAT-6 satellite, developed by Ubotica, has successfully used artificial intelligence (AI) to autonomously detect 37 ships entering the Galveston channel. This marks a major advancement in satellite technology, particularly for disaster risk management and emergency response.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the University of Bonn have renewed their partnership, reinforcing their commitment to leveraging space technology in response to growing threats from natural and human-made disasters. This five-year agreement, signed today in Vienna, extends the "Spaceborne Earth Observation Applications for Emergency Response and Disaster Risk Reduction" (SPEAR) project, focusing on African nations.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite is set for launch on 4 September 2024 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Fully fueled and pressurized, Sentinel-2C will enhance the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation program, a crucial initiative for global environmental monitoring and disaster risk management.

The United Arab Emirates has made a significant leap in its space capabilities with the successful launch of its first Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite. The satellite, developed by Bayanat AI PLC and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat) in partnership with ICEYE, was launched on 16 August 2024.

Senegal has taken a significant step in its journey towards technological sovereignty with the successful launch of its first satellite, Gaindesat-1A. The earth observation nanosatellite was launched on 16 August 2024, from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the EOS-08 earth observation satellite on 16 August 2024 on board of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D3). This marks the third and final developmental flight of the SSLV, placing the EOS-08 satellite precisely into a 475 km orbit.

In recent years, wildfires have become a growing global concern, with climate change-driven extreme weather contributing to their increasing frequency and severity. Regions from Canada to Australia and the Mediterranean have seen devastating impacts, including loss of life, destruction of property, and significant atmospheric emissions.