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Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa
Small satellites have dramatically lowered the barriers to participating in space activities for many emerging countries, including South Africa. The rapid up-take of this facet of space technology has spurred the development of several micro-launchers dedicated to lofting small satellites to low Ea...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Electrical Engineering
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613142232596480 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Campbell, Victoria |
| author2 | Martinez, Peter |
| author_browse | Campbell, Victoria Martinez, Peter |
| author_facet | Martinez, Peter Campbell, Victoria |
| author_sort | Campbell, Victoria |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Small satellites have dramatically lowered the barriers to participating in space activities for many emerging countries, including South Africa. The rapid up-take of this facet of space technology has spurred the development of several micro-launchers dedicated to lofting small satellites to low Earth orbit. However, the majority of these micro-launcher initiatives and the majority of spaceports in use are located in the northern hemisphere, and there are currently no operational spaceports in Africa. In this study the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa is explored, building on the launch facilities established for the previous space programme of the 1980s and early 1990s, and existing capabilities in present-day academic institutions and industry. Potential markets, financial requirements, technical feasibility, available infrastructure, and regulatory and policy aspects of such a venture are reviewed with respect to South Africa’s current political situation and attitude towards space activities. Several possible options for establishing small satellite launch capabilities in South Africa are used as a framework to assess the feasibility of a micro-launcher industry in South Africa. These range from a simple “ship and shoot” scenario with no indigenously developed technology to more complex cooperative arrangements which would, to varying degrees, require technology transfers and cooperation with potential international partners. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31188 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:26.417Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Department of Electrical Engineering |
| publisherStr | Department of Electrical Engineering |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31188 Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa Campbell, Victoria Martinez, Peter electrical engineering Small satellites have dramatically lowered the barriers to participating in space activities for many emerging countries, including South Africa. The rapid up-take of this facet of space technology has spurred the development of several micro-launchers dedicated to lofting small satellites to low Earth orbit. However, the majority of these micro-launcher initiatives and the majority of spaceports in use are located in the northern hemisphere, and there are currently no operational spaceports in Africa. In this study the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa is explored, building on the launch facilities established for the previous space programme of the 1980s and early 1990s, and existing capabilities in present-day academic institutions and industry. Potential markets, financial requirements, technical feasibility, available infrastructure, and regulatory and policy aspects of such a venture are reviewed with respect to South Africa’s current political situation and attitude towards space activities. Several possible options for establishing small satellite launch capabilities in South Africa are used as a framework to assess the feasibility of a micro-launcher industry in South Africa. These range from a simple “ship and shoot” scenario with no indigenously developed technology to more complex cooperative arrangements which would, to varying degrees, require technology transfers and cooperation with potential international partners. 2020-02-20T09:49:33Z 2020-02-20T09:49:33Z 2019 2020-02-20T09:20:28Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31188 eng application/pdf Department of Electrical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment |
| spellingShingle | electrical engineering Campbell, Victoria Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa |
| title_full | Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa |
| title_short | Assessment of the potential for developing a micro-launcher industry in South Africa |
| title_sort | assessment of the potential for developing a micro launcher industry in south africa |
| topic | electrical engineering |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31188 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT campbellvictoria assessmentofthepotentialfordevelopingamicrolauncherindustryinsouthafrica |