cput’s nano satellite programme

THE LOWDOWN ON LOCAL SATELLITES

CPUT HOSTS AFRICA’S LEADING NANOSATELLITE PROGRAMME.

By: Lusanda Tamesi

Image of ZACUBE-2 by CPUT

YOU ARE PROBABLY WONDERING WHAT A NANOSATELLITE IS…

A nanosatellite is any satellite weighing less than 10 kilograms – the term “nanosatellite” or “nanosat” is used to explain a weight mass between 1 - 10kg. Nanosat or CubeSats are named for their specific characteristics including a cube shape, a generic size of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm known as U, and weight.

The use of nanosatellites to curb climate change

With South Africa having a patchwork of climatic conditions, this programme is an advantage. Nanosatellites might be small in appearance but their work comes in handy. Now, to South Africa’s advantage, these satellites are used to train students for the aerospace industry to apply their knowledge in biomedical research, space observation and space missions.

Over the years, South Africa has been dependent on space-based technology and application to manage and support its inhabitants. The South African Space Agency (SANSA) was created at an ideal time, in an effort to promote space-based research, engineering and innovation. Through this initiative, the CPUT space programme (established in 2009) developed stronger ties with SANSA.

With the help of the French South African Institute of Technology (F'SATI) and the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChl), CPUT is able to expand its research activities via small satellite technology.

A cross-cultural institute for learning, research and development between France and South Africa, F'SATI works to create knowledge and transfer technology between the two countries. It has housed more than 65 Masters and Doctoral graduates. The CPUT space programme is “a man of many talents” as it will launch a third satellite Maritime Domain Awareness mission MDASat-1 this summer, whilst M2MSat, the fourth nanosatellite, is under construction for the year 2022/23.

This follows after two successful missions, namely TshepisoSat that was named by Chachane Kgothalang (a grade 9 learner from Eastern Cape who won the naming satellite competition in 2013), and the second satellite, ZACube-2, launched in 2018.

MDSat-1 is the country’s first mini-constellation of three satellites that will monitor the water off South Africa’s coast for shipping movements. With a ground station at CPUT, the mission will send signals received from the ships at deepsea level and gather the data which, in turn, will be used by the South African government to contribute to the management of the country’s territorial waters.

The former head of the Africa Space Innovation Centre, Professor Robert van Zyl, told Space in Africa that, “MDSat-1 is a major achievement and a milestone for CPUT, South Africa and the continent as a whole, not only providing strategic significant vessel tracking data to the government but also developing skills and advanced technologies”.

MDASat-1 has already undergone several assessment stages including cleanroom, which is a room or controlled environment where contaminants like dust particles are filtered out in order to provide the cleanest area.