INTERVIEW: Exciting times for SA space industry – Why the MDASat constellation matters

South Africa celebrated a milestone on 13 January 2022, when the Maritime Domain Awareness Satellite constellation (MDASat-1) was launched into space from Cape Canaveral in the United States.

SpaceX launched three South African nanosatellites onboard a Falcon 9 rocket, thus cementing SA’s position as an African leader in small satellite development.

A first for South Africa

At the time, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) described the launch as a “first for South Africa’s space industry”.

Why? Because the MDASat-1 – consisting of cube satellites that will detect, identify and monitor vessels in near real-time – was developed entirely in Africa.

Other African countries – Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Ghana – have sent satellites into space, but those were not developed and designed in Africa.

What is the MDASat-1 constellation?

MDASat-1 is the second phase of Operation Phakisa, an initiative focusing on South Africa’s Oceans Economy. The first phase of Operation Phakisa was launched in 2018.

The MDA constellation is equipped with an improved automatic identification system (AIS) receiver and can receive messages on the AIS and AIS long-range channels.

The three satellites in this constellation are smaller than standard satellites, weighing between 1kg and 10kg, “an affordable, functional option”, according to Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).

In conversation with Sansa engineer, Justin Witten

We spoke to Justin Witten, the engineering manager for the SA National Space Agency (Sansa), to understand what the MDASat-1 constellation launch means for South Africa and the continent.

We imagine the launch to have been satisfying for everyone involved in what Witten describes as a collaborative effort, especially seeing the fruition of years of work finally paying off.

“The DSI has invested a lot of time into establishing the nanosatellite development capability at CPUT, and now with the successful launch and in-orbit commissioning, the team is quite relieved, and excited,” said Witten.

Now, however, Witten adds “the real learning begins.”

Cheryl Kahla: Some time has passed since the launch; how has the process of getting the satellites online and getting value from the launch progressed?

Justin Witten: “The constellation is being commissioned and is operating as anticipated – within nominal performance thresholds.

“The testing of each sub-system is underway, and once that is completed, the phasing (spacing between each satellite) will be the next step”.

The satellites form part of the maritime domain awareness (MDA) system. In layman’s terms, what is the MDA and what is the value of the system?

“Maritime Domain Awareness is essential for any country with a coastline. Such countries will have an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which they are responsible for and will be able to draw economic, scientific and social benefits from.

“As such, one needs to be able to monitor the shipping traffic through those waters and the impact on the ecosystem of course.

“This will require data and information management systems, to create that awareness through timeously produced analysis-ready datasets that will inform necessary actions in the protection of the ocean and its resources”.

How did the project and partnership with CPUT come about? What is the role of Sansa, and how will the partnership work in terms of collaboration into the future?

“Through the long-standing commitment of the DSI to the development of space science and technology, the development of a nanosatellite development capability was a key achievement.

“The MDASat project is evidence of this.

“Sansa has been involved in other projects with CPUT, and by virtue of its mandate, continued to support the nanosatellite project by providing Systems Engineering support.

“This entailed a range of activities – from working on the development and refinement of the technical requirements to participating in project reviews.

“In the future, Sansa will provide project management and further engineering support, such as Concurrent Engineering support, to assist in determining the feasibility of more novel missions as we become more ambitious.”

Many South Africans might see the focus on projects in space as too far removed from bettering their everyday life. What are some of the benefits projects like these will bring to the country, now and in the future?

“Being able to monitor legitimate sea-faring vessels within our EEZ is important, and overlaying other datasets then allows us to detect the ones that should not be there.

“Taking one simple example, this in turn positively impacts the availability of the ocean’s resources, which translates into an increased number of jobs, and ensures the sustainability of the ocean’s resources as it can now be better managed.

“But this is merely one type of mission.

“Other satellites are able to monitor water quality and accessibility for service delivery, soil health, and pollination levels to assist agriculture to increase productivity and quality, monitoring of human settlements for spacial planning. The list is endless”.

The launch of the satellites as part of the SpaceX payload was also quite significant in itself. How has the fast-growing private space industry influenced what is possible for space agencies, especially in terms of timelines and innovation?

“With the increased availability of experienced private (local and international) industry supplying matured products, Space Agencies – and by inference, the public – can focus on establishing knowledge-based decision-driving solutions with lower risk and cost, having bigger impacts in addressing socio-economic challenges.

“A critical mass of local innovation requires a substantial initial investment which, if not sufficiently in supply from the private market, is expected to be provided by the government balancing short-term socio-economic challenges with long-term innovation impact.

“The success of an independent, growing, and fast-moving space industry allows the agencies to focus on adding value to the gaps in the innovation system, as well as over-the-horizon technologies”.

These are exciting times for Sansa. Without necessarily getting into the details of various projects currently underway, what can South Africa look forward to in the coming months and years from Sansa?

“These are indeed exciting times for the space industry in South Africa.

“As you may know, Sansa is currently involved with the Space Infrastructure Hub, which involves a massive upgrade to the infrastructure that supports the space value chain.

“That is, space-related facilities and capabilities required to develop, manufacture and operate satellite missions, and then manage data and produce analysis-ready data products to empower decision making and support service delivery.

“This will make a tangible difference on all levels, from national, provincial, district and even to local community level”.

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