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First Private Satellite in Space to Launch from Africa
Constructed by African Schoolgirls
CNN
Britanny Bull, aged 17, and Sesam Mngqengqiswa, aged 16, are aiming high, with plans to send Africa’s first private satellite into space in 2019.
Part of a team of high school girls from Cape Town in South Africa, they have developed and constructed payloads for a satellite that will orbit over the earth’s poles, scanning Africa’s land surface.
Once operable, the satellite will gather data on African agriculture, and advancements in food security within the continent.
The collected data will be used to predict and solve potential issues that Africa might face in the future, according to Pelican Park High School student Bull.
“We can get information about where our food is thriving, where additional trees can be planted, and monitor remote locations,” Bull explains. “We have a multitude of forest fires and floods, but we can’t always respond quickly enough.”
The twice-daily received data can be used for preventing disasters.
This initiative is part of South Africa’s Meta Economic Development Organization (MEDO) project, which works in conjunction with the Morehead State University in the USA.
The participating girls, a total of 14, are being mentored by satellite engineers from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology as part of an effort to inspire more African women to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
If the launch is successful, MEDO will become the first private African company to construct a satellite and send it into orbit.
“We expect a robust signal, which would allow us to obtain reliable data,” says a hopeful Mngqengqiswa, a student at Philippi High School. “In South Africa, we’ve experienced some of the worst floods and droughts, greatly affecting our farmers.”
The impact of climate change continues to vex the country with drought and environmental issues. An El Niño induced drought resulted in a shortfall of 9.3 million tons in southern Africa’s April 2016 maize production, according to a UN report.
“It’s affected our economy… This is an opportunity to explore how we can enhance our economy,” remarks Mngqengqiswa.
During initial tests, the girls programmed and launched small CricketSat satellites using high-altitude weather balloons. This progress led to them assisting in configuring the final satellite payloads.
Small format satellites are cost-effective ways to gather data quickly about the Earth. Recent tests involved collecting thermal imaging data used for early flood or drought detection.
“It’s a new field for us in Africa, but I think it could help make positive changes to our economy,” says Mngqengqiswa.
The ultimate goal is to expand the project to include girls from Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Mngqengqiswa, raised in a single-parent home, with a mother working as a domestic worker, aspires to make her mother proud by becoming an astronaut or space engineer.
“Discovering space and observing the Earth’s atmosphere is not an experience many black Africans have had, or been given the opportunity to explore,” says Mngqengqiswa. “I want to see these things for myself and have these experiences.”
Bull, her teammate, agrees, “I want to show girls that we don’t have to limit ourselves. Any career is possible — even aerospace.”
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