From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report. The South African National Space Agency recently inaugurated a new Ku-band In Orbit Test limited-motion antenna – the latest addition to its growing number of technologically advanced antennae at its Space Operations facility, to assist clients in successfully commissioning new satellites. Joanne Taylor reports.

Joanne Taylor:
The new R17-million facility, internally funded by Sansa, comprises a 10 m Ku-direct broadcast satellite band antenna and an equipment room fitted with IOT equipment and infrastructure and was built in response to the growing demand by satellite owners for ground facilities that are essential to test the in-orbit communications performance of new geostationary satellites.

South Africa 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.

The newly built antenna has a Ku-band up and downlink, as well as direct broadcast satellite band uplink capability. Civil construction on the Ku-IOT antenna started in January, with final testing having been completed during July and August.

Sansa acting space programme manager Shravan Singh:
So the requirement for the new antenna came about with us getting very busy with our existing Ku facility. Our existing Ku facility is used for launching early orbit phase projects, but more our international clients want us to do in-orbit tests as well, which is the process of handing over a new spacecraft from the manufacturer to the operator. Because of this load on our antennae, we decided that we would put up a dedicated facility for that. The specification is built around the orbit tests. It’s a highly calibrated antenna, it doesn’t have the range of movement that our traditional antenna has but that’s not required for IOT (in orbit test). For IOT we need to have a limited motion but highly calibrated, so that is why we put it up and even though its only just been inaugurated we are already fully booked on it for IOT missions.

One of these antennas typically takes nine months to a year to put together, so it starts off with a civil project to put down the foundations because these antennas need to be mounted fairly accurately and very sturdily as it needs to point to the spacecraft at very fine resolutions. So it starts off with a civil project to put in a big concrete base while the antenna is manufactured off-site and delivered and put together and then tested and calibrated and then approved. So all in all nine months to a year to put together a system like this.

Sansa chief engineer Eugene Avenant:
Next for space operations is quite an exciting project, it’s the development of a new satellite called EO Sat1, an Earth observation satellite.

We are well into the first phase with R372-million that we have secured from the Department of Science and Technology and that will be ramped up to about R450-million.

It’s Africa’s contribution to a constellation of satellites for the African continent and this constellation will be taking pictures, high-resolution pictures, of the African continent for disaster management, for the management of vegetation and it’s a big project for Sansa as it has a lot of highly skilled engineering expertise, and we are also stimulating the space industry in Africa through that project. So one of the main aims, apart from building a satellite and launching it, is to actually revive the satellite-building industry in South Africa so that we can build more smaller satellites in the future that can be used and benefit everyone.

Shannon de Ryhove:
Other news making headlines this week: The final batch of Husky vehicle-mounted mine detector units will be delivered to the US Army; Mercedes-Benz launches the M-Class Guard armoured vehicle in South Africa; and ultra-filtration technology significantly improves the quality of wastewater at Henkel South Africa.

DCD Protected Mobility recently announced that it was ready to deliver the final batch of Husky vehicle-mounted mine detector (or VMMD) units to the US Army, after which its Husky VMMD build programme would transition from a production to a sustainment phase.

Andrew Mears DCD Protected Mobility GM

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the new R2.3-million ML500 Guard vehicle in South Africa. The M-Guard, an armoured version of the M-Class SUV, meets the requirements of vehicle resistance level 4, which means it offers protection against a Magnum .357 and .44, as well as a DM51 hand grenade – should the customer opt for the optional floor armour.

Markus Rubenbauer Mercedes-Benz Guard sales head

Adhesive technologies specialist and product manufacturer Henkel South Africa has set a benchmark in sustainability for the global Henkel brand by replacing its old chemical treatment plant with a new R2-million effluent plant that uses ultra-filtration technology in ceramic filters to treat the liquid waste from its factory.

Manie Botha Adhesives technologies operations GM Henkel SA

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.