The Department of Science and Technology's (DST's) decision to step up efforts to get SA's satellite off the ground seems to have paid off.
The department announced this morning that the long-awaited SumbandilaSat will take to the skies in 12 days' time from its launch-pad in Baikonur, in Kazakhstan.
The second low-orbit satellite to be launched by SA has waited for its chance to fly since its initial launch date was missed in December 2006.
Subsequently, the satellite's lift-off has seen countless delays, with the South African government blaming its launch partner - Russian space agency Roskosmos - for the failures to launch.
The satellite's project manager at the DST, Humbulani Mudau, says stakeholders are confident that technical aspects are under control and all protocols are now in place to allow for the successful launch of SumbandilaSat, as planned.
"We need to remember there are a number of technical nuances involved in launching a satellite of this nature into orbit, and stakeholders need to make it a priority that all possible challenges are addressed before attempting to launch,” he adds.
Mudau says previous challenges specific to SumbandilaSat included difficulty in receiving Russian government permission for the launch and the rescheduling of a manned mission. "However, we are confident that we are now ready to go, and we have been assured by our Russian counterparts that all we are now waiting for is the official countdown to take-off.”
The launch will be the culmination of the DST's three-year, R26 million integrated capacity building and satellite development project. In October 2005, then minister of science and technology Mosibudi Mangena announced the project, and the satellite was delivered to the DST in November 2006.
The department says it has secured a launch date for the 81kg microsatellite for 15 September.
According to a statement released by the department, SumbandilaSat will be used to keep information flow in Africa to help with disasters, food security, health and security, among other functions.
The satellite will orbit at between 500km and 600km above the earth, and will sport high-definition cameras for accurate mapping of land and infrastructure use. The snaps will be streamed to the Satellite Applications Centre (SAC), at Hartbeeshoek, near Pretoria.
The SAC is expected to then carry out the command and communications functions by tracking the satellite using a large dish antenna.
“The launch of SumbandilaSat is set to strengthen SA's technological and innovation capability in space science and technology, as well as reinforce the country's role in national, regional and international space initiatives,” concludes the DST.
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