# South African ZACube-2 Nano satellite launched

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2019/01/south-african-zacube-2-nano-satellite-launched/
- Published: 2019-01-03T18:02:56+01:00
- Author: Sarah Lesedi

On 25th December, South Africa launched ZACube-2, the most advanced Nanosatellite
from Africa on the Soyuz rocket in Baikonur, Russia.

ZACube-2 nano satellite was developed by the Satellite Programme of the CPUT French
South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI), which is based at the Bellville 
campus.

The ZACube-2 was launched together with several small satellites from the United
States, Japan, Spain, and Germany and will be orbited as secondary payload in a 
launch mission designed for real-time monitoring of natural and man-made disasters
and other emergencies.

 Prof Robert van Zyl the F’SATI director disclosed that the ZACube-2 is a triple
unit CubeSat so it is three times the size of its predecessor, which was called 
TshepisoSat, weighing only 4 kg.

It is a precursor to the MDASat, a constellation of nine nanosatellites that will
be developed to provide very high frequency data exchange communication systems 
to the maritime industry.

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The main payload on the satellite is an AIS (automatic identification system) receiver
with which navigational data will be received from ships along our coast. This data,
which includes the ships’ GPS coordinates, registration information, speed and direction
of travel, will assist the authorities to track ship traffic in our exclusive economic
zone, and improve the safety of ships. ZACube-2 also carry an advanced camera, which
will detect forest and velds fires. ZACube-2 serves as a precursor mission for two
future satellite constellations – the one for Maritime Domain Awareness in support
of Operation Phakisa and the other a FireSat constellation to track fire on the 
African continent,” says Van Zyl.

ZACube-2 demonstrate the functioning of two payloads. A Software Defined Radio AIS
receiver and a novel Fire Detection Imager. It carries our new X-band payload data
transmitter and a high speed version of our S-band transmitter

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 * ![](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Zacube.jpg)
 * ![](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/zacube-2-satellite.jpg)
 * ![](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/zacube-2-640x358-1.jpg)
 * ![](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/zacube-2-nano-sat.png)

The ZACube-2 mission is an initiative funded by the Department of Science and Technology,
the South African National Space Agency, the National Research Foundation and the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Other technology partners on the project
include the CSIR, Stone Three, Clyde Space, Stellenbosch University and Astrofica.

 The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has invested ZAR 16.5 million in
the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) for the project in support of
Operation Phakisa. The project is managed by the DST’s South African National Space
Agency (SANSA), in cooperation with the University of Montpellier, the French Embassy
and the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

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