Regulatory body the South African Council for Space Affairs (Sacsa) congratulates Dragonfly Aerospace for its successful launch of the Earth observation satellite AgriSAT-1/ZA 008 from Cape Canaveral, in the US, on an aerospace company SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-6 mission.
The launch is a historical milestone in the South African space regulatory regime, as it is the first-ever commercial satellite licensed in South Africa following seven government-sponsored satellites, noted Sacsa chairperson Pontsho Maruping.
There is an estimated future revenue to South Africa of $108-million pending successful operation. Further, benefits include an increase in the Dragonfly Aerospace’s productive capacities, employing and skilling more high-value personnel and enabling broader benefits to other related companies in the industry, she added.
“This successful launch by Dragonfly of the AgriSAT satellite shows South Africa’s international capability in the space industry and will boost its credibility for investment in the space area. The launch will enable Dragonfly to continue with its other projects of building a constellation of satellites, while firming up localisation through involvement of other companies in this sector and related sector,” she said.
Dragonfly Aerospace is a space technology solutions company based in the Western Cape that was established in 2018. It has invested extensively in infrastructure and intellectual property development with the possibility of securing more contracts for future missions, Maruping said.