Nanosatellite launch is a big step forward for African space science

South African house science had a giant day on 13 January 2022. The Cape Peninsula College of Know-how, primarily based in Cape City, launched its third satellite tv for pc mission into house from the Cape Canaveral rocket launch website in Florida within the US.

The nanosatellite constellation — consisting of three satellites — known as MDASat (Marine Area Consciousness). A nanosatellite is smaller than normal satellites, weighing between 1 kilogramme and 10kg; it’s an reasonably priced, practical choice. The imply mass of every of our satellites is 2.1kg.

MDASat is designed to gather information that may improve the safety and safety of South African marine sources. The constellation will detect, monitor and determine overseas vessels inside the nation’s unique financial zone. This might assist monitor unlawful dumping and fishing.

Our hope, because the crew that developed and designed the constellation — I’m the performing chief engineer on the mission — is that MDASat will improve the nation’s ocean sovereignty and defend our marine sources.

This mission follows on from the profitable improvement, launch and operation of two different nanosatellites: ZACUBE-1, generally known as TshepisoSat, and ZACUBE-2’s.

It’s an thrilling second not only for the establishment and for South Africa, however for the African continent extra broadly: that is the primary constellation of satellites developed and designed in Africa. Different African nations, amongst them Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Ghana, have despatched satellites into house. However these weren’t developed and designed on the continent; they concerned partnerships with non-African nations or corporations.

That is necessary as a result of the extra nations and scientists are concerned in house the higher: this supplies higher collaborations and presents new technical methods to course of data. Completely different information can be utilized for all types of functions, like monitoring house climate and monitoring pure and marine sources.

MDASat’s position

The January 13 launch despatched three satellites of the MDA constellation (we hope to launch 9 in whole as a part of this constellation) into house. MDASat-1 will use Automated Identification System information to observe ships’ actions inside South Africa’s unique financial zone. Automated Identification System is a radio system used for the monitoring of maritime site visitors. The placement messages acquired by the satellites from ships within the ocean beneath is downloaded each day from the satellite tv for pc when it passes over the bottom station on the college’s Bellville, Cape City campus.

The satellites can do various issues. As an example, they’ll obtain over the air upgrades, that means software program might be developed and uploaded to the orbiting satellite tv for pc when prepared. They will additionally acquire uncooked information, enhancing the chance for diagnostic testing on sign interference and decoding messages.

This data permits us to trace the satellites’ well being standing — in the event that they expertise software program bugs or digital malfunctions we are able to examine that data, then apply fixes or backup manoeuvres.

MDASat additionally has an enhanced information interface. This implies it makes use of your complete out there bandwidth so it’s working optimally and may put by most information.

These enhancements pave the best way for the longer term MDASat-2’s improvement and launch. Additionally they minimise the chance of harm to the present payload from house climate circumstances.

Every satellite tv for pc will initially cross the bottom station a median of 4 occasions a day, however that may steadily improve. The satellites will drift aside over time and, as they finally unfold additional aside, we may have a median of 12 passes per day. We count on a median of 1883k bytes of knowledge to be generated per cross per satellite tv for pc.

On the identical time we’re additionally nonetheless monitoring the beforehand launched ZACUBE-2. It’s also monitoring ships, in addition to forest and vegetation fires. Since its launch in 2018, ZACube-2 has offered cutting-edge very excessive frequency information alternate communication methods to the nation’s maritime business, as a contribution to Operation Phakisa. This authorities initiative goals to quick monitor a number of precedence initiatives.

One other African connection

House engineering initiatives began on the Cape Peninsula College of Know-how in 2008. As we speak these are coordinated by the establishment’s African House Innovation Centre.

We work from laboratories close to the establishment’s Bellville campus. Our satellites are constructed to final and to remain the course: they bear a rigorous flight acceptance assessment that confirms not solely that they’re match to enter house however that they’ll work as soon as they get there. The assessment consists of environmental testing to make sure mechanical shocks don’t obliterate satellite tv for pc and thermal testing to make sure they’ll function inside designated temperature ranges.

There was one other South African aspect to the 13 January launch: MDASat was launched by SpaceX, the corporate based by SA-born entrepreneur Elon Musk. SpaceX supplies reasonably priced experience share choices into house and MDASat was only one mission launched aboard the aerospace firm’s Falcon 9 rocket on this event. The rocket carried a complete of 105 spacecraft which can all collect information for various entities.

This mission represents a giant step in direction of autonomy of South Africa’s treasured pure sources: information from and in regards to the nation, for its personal use.

Nyameko Royi, Performing Chief Engineer, MDASat constellation mission, Cape Peninsula College of Know-how

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