South Africa is back in the 'space race', with the first of seven South African-made microsatellites due to be launched in December from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
And it’s only fitting that the company launching them is SpaceX, the space technology and exploration company founded by South African Elon Musk.
The newly completed EOS SAT-1 satellite is due to leave South Africa in the coming weeks, according to Stellenbosch-based manufacturers Dragonfly Aerospace. All seven will ultimately form part of a satellite “constellation” specifically designed to generate high-quality data relating to agriculture and forestry. They are fitted with “DragonEye” electro-optical imagers that produce “multispectral imagery” relevant to harvest monitoring, soil moisture, biomass and agriculture yield prediction. As such, they are the world’s first agriculture-focused satellites.
Bryan Dean, CEO and co-founder of Dragonfly Aerospace, said the project demonstrated South Africa’s capabilities in satellite engineering and space science. “This has been an important project for our whole team and has allowed us to demonstrate our capabilities, not just in producing high-performance electro-optical imagers, but in designing and manufacturing a full imaging satellite system. It’s an amazing feeling to see EOS SAT-1 leave our premises and take the next step in its journey to delivering crucial data that will have important environmental benefits for our planet,” Dean said on Friday.
Among Dragonfly Aerospace's founders is well-known Ukrainian entrepreneur Max Polyakov, who in 2015 founded EOS Data Analytics. It offers a range of spatial data analytic services, including satellite imagery, and is the end user of the EOS SAT-1 satellite.
News of the imminent launch coincides with a spat between Musk and the Ukrainian government relating to the company’s gift of free satellite internet for Ukraine, a donation prompted by Russia’s invasion earlier this year. SpaceX this week reportedly announced it could no longer afford the free donation and urged the US government to pick up the bill.
Dragonfly Aerospace, founded in 2019, is a leading provider of Earth-observation optical payloads and satellite platforms. It has a state-of-the-art 3,000m² design and manufacturing facility, and is a proven global provider of space technology hardware.
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Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch SA-made microsatellite in December
First of seven satellites to be packed off from Stellenbosch
Image: Dragonfly Aerospace
South Africa is back in the 'space race', with the first of seven South African-made microsatellites due to be launched in December from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
And it’s only fitting that the company launching them is SpaceX, the space technology and exploration company founded by South African Elon Musk.
The newly completed EOS SAT-1 satellite is due to leave South Africa in the coming weeks, according to Stellenbosch-based manufacturers Dragonfly Aerospace. All seven will ultimately form part of a satellite “constellation” specifically designed to generate high-quality data relating to agriculture and forestry. They are fitted with “DragonEye” electro-optical imagers that produce “multispectral imagery” relevant to harvest monitoring, soil moisture, biomass and agriculture yield prediction. As such, they are the world’s first agriculture-focused satellites.
Bryan Dean, CEO and co-founder of Dragonfly Aerospace, said the project demonstrated South Africa’s capabilities in satellite engineering and space science. “This has been an important project for our whole team and has allowed us to demonstrate our capabilities, not just in producing high-performance electro-optical imagers, but in designing and manufacturing a full imaging satellite system. It’s an amazing feeling to see EOS SAT-1 leave our premises and take the next step in its journey to delivering crucial data that will have important environmental benefits for our planet,” Dean said on Friday.
Among Dragonfly Aerospace's founders is well-known Ukrainian entrepreneur Max Polyakov, who in 2015 founded EOS Data Analytics. It offers a range of spatial data analytic services, including satellite imagery, and is the end user of the EOS SAT-1 satellite.
News of the imminent launch coincides with a spat between Musk and the Ukrainian government relating to the company’s gift of free satellite internet for Ukraine, a donation prompted by Russia’s invasion earlier this year. SpaceX this week reportedly announced it could no longer afford the free donation and urged the US government to pick up the bill.
Dragonfly Aerospace, founded in 2019, is a leading provider of Earth-observation optical payloads and satellite platforms. It has a state-of-the-art 3,000m² design and manufacturing facility, and is a proven global provider of space technology hardware.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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