TRENDS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
FROM CASH TO DIGITAL
NASA INGENUITY MAR HELICOPTER: AFTER DUSTY FLIGHT 19, TEAM PREPARES FOR FLIGHT 20
HARNESSING THE POWER OF AGRITECH TO HELP SA’S SMALLHOLDER FARMERS
“Tap to Pay” experience to Africa’s Informal
Flight 19 was successfully completed on
Microsoft South Africa has selected The
Sector with its software solution that
February 7, 2022, at 20:21 PST (Sol 345 of
Awareness Company as the beneficiary of
enables merchants to accept contactless
the Perseverance mission, 12:00 LMST Lo-
its AgriTech Programme. The Awareness
payments directly from a mobile phone.
cal Mean Solar Time), and placed Ingenuity
Company will develop and roll out three
The Lipa Payment’s duo plans to roll-out
safely within the designated landing ellipse
their Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution
just above the eastern ridge of the “South
high-impact solutions in the agriculture
across South Africa and Nigeria in 2022.
Séítah” basin. Flight 19 was a reminder of
Owning just a low-end smartphone, even if
the challenges and unpredictability of the
it does not have near-field communication
Martian environment, after being delayed
(NFC) capabilities means that merchants
by an unexpected dust storm that caused
can accept either phone-to-phone pay-
a significant drop in air density and solar
tive is to drive digital transformation in the
ments (using Bluetooth technology) or a
array output. The team is now preparing for
agriculture sector by collaborating with a
bank-card payment directly on their smart-
Flight 20, which will continue Ingenuity’s
technology company that will develop high
phones (using NFC technology).
march alongside Perseverance back to
impact solutions and empower smallholder
Perseverance’s landing location — the Oc-
farmers.
tavia E. Butler Landing Site. From there, the two robotic partners will begin traveling to the Jezero Crater river delta. During Flight 20, Ingenuity is planned to traverse 1,280 feet (390 meters), at an altitude of 32.8 feet (10 meters) and a maximum ground speed of 10.1 mph (4.5 meters per second).
sector within the next year – positively impacting one of the country’s critical sectors, helping to drive growth and job creation. The AgriTech Programme’s main objec-
