SunSpace was established in 2000 as a spin-off from Stellenbosch University following the successful launch of SUNSAT by NASA with a Delta-II launch vehicle. During the past decade SunSpace has developed and delivered numerous satellite components, subsystems and two flight model satellite, now operational in space. This blog documents the mission of Sumbandila (funded by the DST), launched on a Soyuz-2.1b on 17 September 2009. SunSpace places a high premium on a strong partnership with the South African Government for supplying the ongoing satellite needs of our government.
19 November 2009
First image from the Horizon Sensor
We have downloaded the first image from the on-board Horizon Sensor, which forms part of the sensor suite of the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS). Data from the sensor is used to improve the accuracy of the attitude estimators. The sensor automatically extracts the Earth horizon profile from the image and then passes the coordinates thereof on to the ADCS SW.
17 November 2009
First high-resolution images
We have received the first images from the main payload (6-band imager) at the capture station at the Overberg Test Range (OTB). With this significant milestone we have confirmed that the imager electronics and mass memory storage are working as expected. Over the next couple of weeks we will perform various system calibration functions to further optimize the image quality.
The first officially released image will be sent to the Department of Science and Technology when available. The Department may publish the particular image at its own convenience. Further images on this blog will be published with the consent of the Department.
The first officially released image will be sent to the Department of Science and Technology when available. The Department may publish the particular image at its own convenience. Further images on this blog will be published with the consent of the Department.
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