The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has unveiled its new In-Orbit Testing (IOT) antennae facility, at its Hartebeesthoek station. This was done as part of the agency's World Space Week celebrations in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology.
SANSA space operations MD Raoul Hodges says the new facility consists of a new 10m Ku-DBS band antenna and an equipment room, outfitted with IOT equipment and infrastructure to assist clients to successfully commission new satellites.
The agency has a number of space programmes that aim to benefit SA, including the provision of satellite data, products and services to government departments to monitor a variety of aspects, such as growth of informal settlements, natural resources like water, and providing real-time data for management of disaster and recovery.
In order to download data, track and support these satellites over SA, the agency has a state-of-the-art facility at Hartebeesthoek that supports numerous international space launches, and provides IOT and telemetry, tracking and command for global clients.
According to Hodges, SA is in an ideal position to assist satellite operators in the qualification and commissioning of their new satellites, as the country has a relatively radio quiet environment and a good geographic position. "We have seen a steady growth in the market for IOT services and with the existing KU-DBS facility carrying a high workload for normal transfer orbit operations, it made sense to develop a dedicated facility," he says.
World Space Week, an initiative by the United Nations to acknowledge the strides made by humanity in space and the impacts thereof, is celebrated around the world from 4 to 10 October.
SANSA will host two additional events during the week. One is the launch of Fundisa Resources, a data disk with data sets specific to SA that is produced by SANSA annually. These disks are delivered to up to 16 tertiary institutions, and enable lecturers and students to make use of the data either for teaching purposes or in their research.
The agency will also unveil its new SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network), in Hermanus next week.
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