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Johannesburg, 13th January (PTI) – The successful launch of the world’s first agriculture-focused satellite is expected to generate more than $100 million in revenue, the chairman of South Africa’s Space Affairs Council said.
Pontsho Maruping said in a statement on Friday that last week’s satellite launch from Cape Canaveral was a historic milestone for South Africa’s space regulatory regime as it was the first to be licensed in South Africa after seven government-funded satellites. A commercial satellite.
Dragonfly Aerospace launched the satellite, called AgriSAT-1/ZA 008, on a Space X Falcon 9 rocket.
“This successful launch of Dragonfly once again demonstrates South Africa’s international strength in space and will enhance the credibility of South Africa’s investment in the space sector. This launch will allow Dragonfly to continue its other projects in building a satellite constellation while simultaneously and other companies in related fields to solidify localization,” Maruping said.
“It is understood that with this launch, South Africa’s future revenue is expected to reach $108 million, pending successful operations,” said Maruping, adding that other benefits include increasing the company’s production capacity and hiring and training more high-value personnel , and bring broader benefits to other related companies in the industry.
The satellite is the first in client EOSDA’s (EOS Data Analytics) constellation of seven satellites in low Earth orbit. The remaining six satellites of the constellation will be deployed over the next three years.
It is the world’s first agriculture-focused satellite constellation, providing agriculture and forestry with high-quality data to support efficient and sustainable practices.
Imagery obtained from the Dragonfly satellite will provide valuable information for harvest monitoring, application mapping, season planning and assessment that can analyze information such as soil moisture, yield forecasts and biomass levels. The data will support growers in reducing CO2 emissions and help them develop sustainable farming methods.
The information will have important environmental benefits for the planet and help prevent the loss of natural habitats due to crop growth and maintain biodiversity, the company said.
“This is a pivotal moment for Dragonfly Aerospace and we are delighted to be delivering the EOS SAT-1, a number of firsts – the first imaging satellite designed and built by Dragonfly, the first miniature satellite manufactured in South Africa since 2009 satellite, the first satellite in the EOS SAT constellation and the first agriculture-focused constellation in space,” said Bryan Dean, CEO and co-founder of Dragonfly Aerospace.
Dragonfly Aerospace was established in the Western Cape in 2019 by a group of experienced aerospace engineers who have been at the forefront of South Africa’s uniquely successful aerospace industry since the launch of the country’s first Earth observation satellite in 1999 . They work on every South African microsatellite mission.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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