Defence and Space

Defence and Space

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Defence and Space

image taken by our Pléiades neo 30cm resolution satellite of Mine in Kolwesi

Energy: the Mines of Kolwezi

Democratic Republic of Congo

06/02/2023

In the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper, cobalt and other metals have been mined in several open pits near the town of Kolwezi since 1940.

With Pléiades imagery, the evolution of the pit’s embankments can be monitored by height and on the surface. The deposits around Kolwezi contain 10% of the planet's copper reserves and more than a third of the known cobalt stocks. These metals are essential to the electrical industry, mobile phones and computers as well as aircraft engines and are the country’s main resources.

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