Morocco celebrates anniversary of Western Sahara takeover as UN mission ends

LAAYOUNE, Western Sahara (AP) — Morocco on Friday commemorated the Green March, the 1975 mass mobilization into then-Spanish controlled Western Sahara that helped pave the way for Morocco's takeover of most of the disputed territory. The anniversary comes as the decades-old conflict enters a new diplomatic phase as a U.N. peacekeeping mission there winds down.

In Laayoune, the largest city in the part of Western Sahara controlled by Morocco, signs of the Green March anniversary were visible across public spaces.

Moroccan flags fluttered in schoolchildren’s hands, portraits of King Mohammed VI overlooked roundabouts and public squares, and the national coat of arms adorned major boulevards. Uniformed and plainclothes police officers stood watch along the streets.

But across the desert, beyond a long sand berm lined with military positions and minefields, the anniversary carries a different meaning.

For the Sahrawis who support independence, the Green March marks the beginning of Morocco’s takeover of most of the territory and the displacement of thousands of people. Some relatives have spent decades on opposite sides of the divide, living in Moroccan-controlled cities or in refugee camps near the Algerian city of Tindouf, with few chances to meet.

This year, their separation is set against a new diplomatic turning point. The U.N. Security Council failed to renew the mandate of a peacekeeping mission that was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and organize a referendum on the territory’s future.

The mandate of the mission, known as MINURSO, expired on Oct. 31, and the mission is winding down after 35 years.

Morocco has welcomed the end of the mandate. It has increasing support from powerful allies, including the United States and France, for its proposal to give Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

The Polisario Front, the independence movement backed by Algeria and Russia, says the territory’s people must be allowed to choose independence through a referendum. It has expressed regret over the mission’s nonrenewal.

The dispute has made Western Sahara one of Africa’s longest-running territorial conflicts. The territory, roughly the size of Colorado, is rich in fisheries and phosphate deposits. Morocco controls most of it and calls the area its “southern provinces.” The Polisario claims the territory and administers areas east of the berm.

The U.N. continues to list Western Sahara as a Non-Self-Governing Territory awaiting decolonization.

The Green March began on Nov. 6, 1975, when King Hassan II called on Moroccans to enter Spanish-ruled Western Sahara. Morocco says 350,000 civilians took part. Spain withdrew the following year, but the Polisario Front, founded in 1973 to end Spanish rule, rejected the agreement and continued fighting for independence. Morocco later consolidated control over most of the territory and built the berm that divides it today.

Meanwhile, Morocco has poured investment into the territory, building roads, ports and industrial infrastructure and promoting renewable energy projects. Rabat presents the development drive as evidence that its administration has improved living standards.

Despite the construction boom, residents in Laayoune continue to grapple with everyday economic pressures, including the cost of living and access to jobs. Some residents who spoke to The Associated Press said these concerns remain more immediate in their daily lives.

A signboard at the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), ahead of its exit from the region after its mandate expired, in Laayoune, Moroccan-administered Western Sahara, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A view of Laayoune, a city in the Moroccan-administered Western Sahara, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Moroccan and United Nations flags wave at the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), ahead of its exit from the region following the expiration of its mandate, in Laayoune, Moroccan-administered Western Sahara, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Cars drive past portraits of Moroccan King Mohammed VI in the Moroccan-administered Western Sahara city of Laayoune, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A man cycles past the headquarters of U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, ahead of its exit from the region after its mandate expired, in the Morocco administered Western Sahara town of Laayoune, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 6, 2026--

Today, Astranis announced it has been selected by NASA for the initial phase of its Network Extension for User Continuity and Sustainability (NEXUS) initiative, developing a commercial Ka-band relay capability to support legacy relay users, so existing missions can continue to operate as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) fleet in geosynchronous orbit is retired. Astranis’ contract has a maximum potential value of $264.3 million and supports NASA’s adoption of a commercial services model instead of a government-owned system.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261106515743/en/

The NEXUS initiative supports NASA’s decision to gradually retire its TDRS fleet and adopt commercial services for future missions. Legacy TDRS users cannot practically alter their communications hardware or switch to incompatible commercial services, and require backward-compatible Ka-band relay support to stay connected.

“Keeping NASA’s most important missions connected takes infrastructure that is resilient, proven, and built to last,” said John Gedmark, CEO and cofounder of Astranis. “NEXUS puts our production capacity to work for NASA, using the same dual-use spacecraft platforms designed to serve our commercial customers.”

Under the firm-fixed-price contract, NASA is funding initial concept development and risk reduction. The period of performance for the initial phase runs Nov 4, 2026 through May 3, 2027, with follow-on phases extending the work through 2029. The NEXUS acquisition is structured as a complete service, including space and ground systems, launch and deployment, on-orbit demonstration, and a future operational service phase. NASA's objective for NEXUS is to acquire backward-compatible Ka-band relay services capable of supporting existing missions for at least 15 years.

NEXUS is facilitated through the Communications Services Project within NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) division, through which Astranis is partnered with NASA on a Nonreimbursable Space Act Agreement.

About Astranis

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly sophisticated customers across the globe - large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With multiple satellites now on orbit serving customers around the world, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, BlackRock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

NASA Selects Astranis for NEXUS Ka-Band Relay Satellite Initiative