· South Africa and the US are joining hands for a space exploration partnership. The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), South Africa and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the US have signed a letter of intent to facilitate the partnership.
South Africa and the US are joining hands for a space exploration partnership. The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), South Africa and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the US have signed a letter of intent to facilitate the partnership.
Soon after the signing of the letter of intent, a ground-breaking ceremony was held with NASA and South African National Space Agency (SANSA), part of DSI in Matjiesfontein for setting up a new communications facility to support the Artemis missions. The site in Matjiesfontein, northeast of Cape Town, was chosen by virtue of its location, weather, and existing infrastructure to be one of three Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS) placed strategically around the globe. The three LEGS stations will ensure that the moon will always be in Earth’s purview to provide essential, enhanced direct-to-Earth communications capabilities, up to two million kilometers away through NASA’s Near Space Network.
The communications antennas18 to 24-meter long to be built in Matjiesfontein, are expected to provide uninterrupted connectivity between astronauts on NASA’s Artemis spacecraft and those who will subsequently come to work on and around the lunar surface.
South Africa was a partner in NASA’s Apollo missions in the 1960s when man first landed on the moon. The country hosted a ground tracking station outside Johannesburg at Hartebeesthoek, which played a critical role in NASA’s Apollo Missions.
The mission of Artemis, named after Apollo’s mythical twin sister, is to land the first woman and person of colour on the moon that will contribute to a long-term lunar presence and facilitate sending of astronauts to Mars.
Also read;
DELTA AIR and JA handhold to promote scientific temper in Africa
