SA
govt
eyes
Sunspace
shares
12
February
2010
Pretoria
-
Cabinet
this
week
in
principle
approved
that
government
acquire
an
equity
share
of
between
55
percent
and
60
percent
in
Sunspace.
This,
according
to a
statement,
is
in
order
to
retain
South
Africa's
national
space
capabilities.
Sunspace
is a
private
company
that
was
set
up
as a
spin-off
of
the
satellite
development
research
programme
at
the
University
of
Stellenbosch.
It
is a
provider
of
high-performance
small-
and
medium-sized
satellites
and
related
systems
and
solutions
to
the
local
and
international
aerospace
market.
The
company
has
undertaken
a
number
of
space
programmes
including
the
design,
development
and
manufacturing
of
the
Sumbandila
Satellite
that
was
launched
into
space
recently.
The
R26
million
SumbandilaSat
was
launched
in
Kazakhstan
in
September.
The
low-orbit
satellite
was
commissioned
by
the
Department
of
Science
and
Technology
and
implemented
by
Stellenbosch
University's
engineering
faculty.
It
formed
part
of
an
integrated
national
space
programme
developed
by
government
to
provide
the
country
with
affordable
access
to
space
technology
and
data.
The
satellite
was
expected
to
orbit
about
500
km
to
600
km
above
the
earth,
carrying
high
resolution
cameras
to
produce
images
of
the
earth.
The
information
is
streamed
to
the
Satellite
Applications
Centre
(SAC)
at
Hartbeeshoek,
near
Pretoria
and
is
to
be
used
in
the
management
of
natural
disasters
such
as
floods,
fires
and
oil
spills
in
southern
Africa.
It
will
also
be
able
to
measure
temperatures
at
sea
and
land,
clouds
and
rainfall,
winds,
sea
levels,
ice
cover,
vegetation
cover
and
gases.
The
Ministries
of
Finance,
Trade
and
Industry
and
Science
and
Technology
are
yet
to
finalise
the
funding
model
for
the
acquisition
of
the
equity
deal,
a
statement
said.
-
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