(TAP) - First homebuilt Tunisian satellite «Challenge One» will be launched on Saturday, March 20, on the 65th anniversary of Independence.

Tunisian experts working in Tunisian Holding TELNET have designed and built the satellite.

Challenge One will be launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on board the Russian Soyuz-2 rocket.

It is a small satellite weighing about 3 kilograms that specialises in the Internet of Things (IOT).

«Challenge One» is the first Tunisian and Maghreb satellite and the sixth African, Tunisian aerospace engineer Ahmed Fadhel said.

«The event is of great importance, as it will open new prospects for training engineers and students in space technology,» he told TAP.

According to TELNET, the design of this satellite «is part of scientific research and innovation. It aims to validate concepts in new technologies, develop associated applications and expand them on a universal scale through launching a constellation of 30 satellites.

TELNET is a group of companies founded in 1994, certified ISO9001 and TL9000.

The Tunisian group is recognised for its skills and expertise in research and development of electronic and mechanical engineering in the fields of telecommunications, multimedia, energy, electronic banking and aerospace.