CPUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo congratulated engineers from the university’s African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) in person when the continent’s first satellite constellation was successfully launched.

The Marine Domain Awareness Satellites (MDASat) have already started successfully transmitting data after they were launched aboard US aerospace company SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

The mission carried 105 spacecraft, including CubeSats, microsats, PocketQubes and orbital transfer vehicles.

On Thursday, the VC and members of his management team joined the ASIC team at the laboratories where the nanosatellites were built in Bellville and watched the launch live with them. The group excitedly tracked the lift-off and then watched the MDASat being deployed about 45 minutes later.

Speaking to members of the media afterwards Prof Nhlapo said it was mission accomplished- for now.

“This was the biggest satellite project to date. Many other projects are in the pipeline, so it is a big niche area. So I say watch this ‘space’,” he said.

“We are a university of technology, and we must dominate in the applied science space; our research must benefit the people of SA. That is why we want to encourage more undergraduate and post-graduate study in this growing field so that the country can keep developing its capacity.”

Acting Chief Engineer on the project, Nyameko Royi, says each satellite will initially make an average of four passes per day, which will steadily increase.

“As satellites eventually drift further apart, we’ll have breaks between overpasses, and as they eventually spread further apart, we will have an average of 12 passes per day. We are also still tracking previously launched nanosatellite ZACUBE-2, which makes it 16 tracking operations per day. We expect an average of 1883k bytes of data to be generated per pass per satellite,” he says.

This data will be used to secure South Africa’s ocean resources, amongst other things.

Written by Lauren Kansley

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Engineering Education lecturer and consultant (research methodology and qualitative data analysis), Ekaterina Rzyankina, had the immense honour of representing South Africa and CPUT as a delegate at the 8th BRICS Young Scientist Forum and 6th BRICS Innovator Prize Event.

The event with the theme: Building BRICS and Africa Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism was held at the prestigious Boardwalk Hotel, Casino and Convention Centre, Gqeberha. During the event, Rzyankina had the privilege of contributing to the "The Future of Education Mindset and Skillset" track, presenting her groundbreaking research on "Digital Literacy Practices of Reading Engineering E-Textbooks at a University of Technology" as part of her PhD study.

“It was an exciting opportunity to showcase how technology and education can intertwine, shaping the future of learning and paving the way for innovation in engineering education,” Rzyankina enthused.

“It was truly a remarkable experience to engage with some of the brightest minds from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and to collectively envision a future of mutual growth and prosperity for our nations and Africa.”

Rzyankina extended her “heartfelt thanks” to her mentors, Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, CPUT and University of Cape Town colleagues, and friends “who have been instrumental in guiding me throughout my academic journey”. “Without your unwavering encouragement and support, this achievement would not have been possible.”

Looking ahead, Rzyankina is excited to further develop and implement her research findings to “revolutionise the landscape of engineering education, bridging the digital divide and empowering students with cutting-edge knowledge and skills”.

“Let's keep working together to build a better, brighter, and more inclusive future for all.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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