The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) has reported that the country’s earth observation microsatellite, Sumbandila, is effectively dead. “We intermittently get contact with the satellite, but we are of the opinion that it has reached the end of its life,” reports Sansa CEO Dr Sandile Malinga. “We’re winding up the mission, examining the lessons from it and looking to the future.”

Although the satellite operated for less than two years, instead of the two to three years Sansa had hoped for, the agency believes Sumbandila to have been a success.

“We collected about 1 000 images – cloud-free, usable images,” highlights Malinga. “We collected images of the floods in Namibia and of the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan. We used it to monitor fire scars in the Kruger National Park. We promoted capacity development. It was extensively used by radio amateurs. The total costs of the programme, including personnel, were less than R100-million. Similar overseas programmes can cost R400-million.”

Sumbandila, designed and built by Stellenbosch-based company Sun Space & Information Systems and operated by Sansa (on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology), is believed to have been hit by a blast of solar radiation in July and has not downloaded any images, nor properly functioned, since then.

The satellite used modified commercial off-the-shelf components, with no backup systems. “It did well, but we need to move forward with systems that are more robust,” he says. “Space is a very hostile environment. Failures happen. We need to create spacecraft with the necessary redundancy (backup systems). Other satellites have backup systems and radiation- hardened materials. It will cost more. We’ll have to cooperate with other agencies which have technologies we do not have. We’ll need to buy some things. Getting others to share their technologies is not easy. Strategic partnerships will be essential, and our partners will need to feel that they’re getting something out of the relationship as well. That’s always a challenge.”

For the future, Sansa is optimistic that funding for the country’s next satellite will be secured during the next financial year (starting April 1). This would allow preliminary work on the project to start later this year. The development of the new satellite should take four years.

Another possible near-term project is the proposed African Resource Manage- ment (ARM) microsatellite constellation programme. This was agreed, in principle, between South Africa, Algeria, Kenya and Nigeria in 2009, and would see each country contribute at least one satellite to the constellation; all the member countries would be able to access imagery from all the satellites involved. (Algeria and Nigeria both have operational earth observation microsatellites.)

“But you can’t develop and operate satellites on a year-to-year ad hoc basis. Our hope is to have a long-term satellite strategy and programme,” points out Malinga. “Long-term programmes also allow technology development.” To this end, Sansa is undertaking a national consultative process to chart the future of the country’s space programme.

This seeks answers to a number of questions. These include: What missions does South Africa need satellites to fulfil? How many satellites would be needed? What degree of resolution would the imagers on these satellites need? What appli- cations should be developed? What ground support and manufacturing facilities should the country have? How many people will be required to implement and operate the satellite programme and what skills will they need? How should communication and coordination between Sansa, other government agencies, science councils and universities be structured and organised?

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