SA microsatellite heads to the US to prepare for launch
28 September 2022
News
EOS SAT-1, the first imaging satellite to be built by Dragonfly Aerospace, will soon leave the 3000 m2 Dragonfly Aerospace design and manufacturing facility in Stellenbosch. It will then travel to SpaceX’s launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida for pre-launch testing ahead of the Transporter-6 mission scheduled to launch in December. The satellite will form the first of a seven-satellite constellation in low Earth orbit for customer EOSDA (EOS Data Analytics). The remaining six satellites of the constellation will be deployed over the next three years.
EOS SAT will be the world’s first agriculture-focused satellite constellation, providing the agriculture and forestry industry with high-quality data to support efficient and sustainable practices. Images obtained from Dragonfly’s EOS SAT-1 will deliver valuable information for harvest monitoring, application mapping, seasonal planning and assessments that analyse information such as soil moisture, yield prediction and biomass levels. This data will support growers in their efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help them to develop sustainable agricultural methods without financial losses.
Equipped with two DragonEye electro-optical imagers, EOS SAT-1 will provide 44 km swath panchromatic and multispectral imagery across 11 spectral bands at close to 1 m resolution, making it one of the most powerful satellites in LEO.
Bryan Dean, CEO and Co-founder of Dragonfly Aerospace, said, “This is a key moment for Dragonfly Aerospace and we are thrilled to be delivering EOS SAT-1 with a number of firsts – the first imaging satellite designed and built by Dragonfly, the first to be manufactured in South Africa since 2009, the first satellite of the EOS SAT constellation and the first agri-focused constellation in space.”
“This has been an important project for our whole team and has allowed us to demonstrate our capabilities, not only in producing high-performance electro-optical imagers, but in designing and manufacturing a full imaging satellite system. It’s an amazing feeling to see EOS SAT-1 leave our premises and take the next step in its journey to delivering crucial data that will have important environmental benefits for our planet,” he concluded.
Further reading:
From the Editor's desk: Growth through inclusivity
Technews Publishing
News
As the engineering fields in South Africa continue to make progress toward gender equality, we are finally starting to see the presence and contribution of women in engineering and industrial roles.
Read more...
KITE 2025 proves its value
News
The KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE) 2025 confirmed its place as KwaZulu-Natal’s must-attend industrial event, drawing thousands of industry professionals.
Read more...
Otto Wireless Solutions announces promotion of Miyelani Kubayi to technical director
Otto Wireless Solutions
News
Otto Wireless Solutions is proud to announce the promotion of Miyelani Kubayi to the position of technical director, effective 1 August 2025.
Read more...
DMASS experiences continued slowdown
News
The European electronic components distribution market continued its downward trajectory in the second quarter of 2025, according to new figures released by DMASS.
Read more...
World-first zero second grid-to-backup power switch
News
JSE-listed cable manufacturer, South Ocean Electric Wire, has completed a solar installation it says marks a global first: a seamless switch from grid to backup power in zero seconds.
Read more...
News
OMC deploys cobots to improve throughput 10x, while maintaining quality and ensuring consistency of fibre optic production.
Read more...
Cobots for opto production line
News
OMC deploys cobots to improve throughput 10x, while maintaining quality and ensuring consistency of fibre optic production.
Read more...
SACEEC celebrates standout industrial innovation on the KITE 2025 show floor
News
Exhibitor innovation took the spotlight at the KITE 2025 as the South African Capital Equipment Export Council announced the winners of its prestigious New Product & Innovation Awards.
Read more...
SA team for International Olympiad in Informatics
News
The Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa has named the team that will represent South Africa at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics.
Read more...
Anritsu and Bluetest to support OTA measurement
News
Anritsu Company and Sweden-based Bluetest AB have jointly developed an Over-The-Air measurement solution to evaluate the performance of 5G IoT devices compliant with the RedCap specification.
Read more...
printer friendly version