When Mark Shuttleworth donned his space suit and ventured into the “final frontier” of outer space, he took with him the aspirations of the nation and stirred our Âcollective consciousness.
So it came as no surprise when Cabinet last year approved the establishment of South Africa’s first space agency, tasked with coordinating research into space technology.
Although South Africa won’t be training fleets of astronauts and sending missions to Mars, it will be using existing space technology, and developing some of its own, to help deliver a range of benefits that will improve the lives of South Africans on the ground.
The new agency will also become the first port of call for other international space programmes, such as the United States’s Nasa, helping to develop South Africa’s position in international space research.
The agency is due to be established by mid-2007 under the watchful eye of Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena.
Mangena’s eye has been fixed on the great wide yonder for some time, particularly with the development and impending launch of South Africa’s own low-Earth orbiting micro satellite — SumbandilaSat — which is scheduled to be integrated with a launch rocket by the Russian navy and launched from a submarine at Severemorsk off the Russian coast in the middle of the year.
The 81kg SumbandilaSat will generate satellite imagery through its remote sensing camera at 6,25m ground sampling distance, giving South Africa the ability to monitor land cover and use, assist with Âflood and fire disaster management, estimate crop yields, help to predict the outbreak of disease and improve the country’s capabilities for water resource Âmanagement.
Once in orbit, SumbandilaSat will pass over South Africa mid-Âmorning and mid-evening at an average orbit altitude of 500km.
In addition to its Earth observation and communications payloads, SumbandilaSat will carry five experimental payloads, which will provide research into low frequency radio waves, radiation, software defined radio, forced vibrating string and radio amateur Âtransponders.
The construction of the SumbandilaSat was completed in September last year and was followed by a battery of Âtrials, including functional testing, space environmental testing, vibration testing and burn-in testing, which were designed to establish the satellite’s readiness prior to a Flight Acceptance Review that the satellite passed with Âflying colours in December.
The satellite has been developed by a consortium of stakeholders including the University of Stellenbosch, SunSpace, the department of science and technology and the departments of trade and industry, foreign affairs and communications, as well as the South African Space Council and Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
When it is launched, SumbandilaSat will strengthen South Africa’s technological capability and innovation in space science and technology, as well as reinforce the country’s role in national, regional and international space initiatives.
According to Mothibi Ramusi, centre manager at the CSIR’s satellite applications centre, SumbandilaÂSat will carry on board an Earth observation payload and a communications payload, both of which will be used extensively to support development strategies for all communities in South Africa.
“The Earth observation payload comprises a high resolution camera capable of acquiring images of Earth. The characteristics of the sensor are designed to provide strategic information for numerous stakeholders. The payload is designed such that images acquired can be used as visual aids to monitor and analyse the climate trends,” says Ramusi.
Another benefit of the images SumbandilaSat generates is that they can help in the decision-making processes of infrastructure planning and urban planning in projects such as housing developments.
The communications payload will provide telecommunications services, primarily through acquisition and dissemination of emails and data based on a “store and forward” principle.
The telecommunications payload that could be the most beneficial to South Africans on the ground, bringing communications facilities to far-flung rural communities where traditional telecommunications infrastructure is non-existent.
Rural schools, clinics and community centres could house receiving terminals bringing villages and settlements on-line for email communication as SumbandilaSat passes over.
Another direct benefit of the satellite is that is has the ability to transmit data on dam levels from ground sensors to water authorities, helping communities to better manage their water resources.
An agent for good
South Africa’s new space agency will have a wide range of benefits, not least of which is allowing the country to play a more prominent role in international forums.
The agency will work closely with the South African Space Council, set up under the Space Affairs Act, to ensure South Africa fulfils its obligations under international agreements.
Institutions under the new agency will include the satellite ground station complex at the Overberg test range and the Houwtek satellite integration facility in Western Cape.
It will oversee the space-science infrastructure at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and at universities. South Africa gathers space-related data in Antarctica, and is a collaborator in telescopes such as the Southern African Large Telescope and the High Energy Stereoscopic System in Namibia.
The government will be a direct beneficiary of the space agency. It currently makes use of space technology and data for a wide range of activities and services. Global navigation satellite systems are used extensively for mapping and Geographic Information Systems by the departments of transport, agriculture, land affairs, water affairs and forestry, and the South African National Defence Force.
Satellite-enabled telecommunications are used by the government to keep in touch with its embassies abroad, as well as locally for law enforcement purposes by the police.
Internationally, South Africa is an active participant in the space arena. South African space professionals participate in numerous forums, such as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.