After a false start on Tuesday due to technical hitches, the Sumbandila Satellite finally lifted off into Earth's orbit on Thursday evening. The satellite was launched by a Russian Soyuz rocket taking off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
"We look forward to implementing our space strategy so that we can join other nations in exploring the myriad possibilities presented by scientific and technological research," said Naledi Pandor, South Africa's minister in charge of science and technology, who attended the launch.
Sumbandila, which means "lead the way" in the Venda language, is South Africa's second satellite to blast off into space after Sunsat, in 1999.
The two satellites will add to the capacity provided by cable systems including EASSY, which is set to go live in June next year. The extra capacity will give South Africa a competitive edge in the continent's telecommunications industry.
"The launch reinforces South Africa's role in national, regional and international space initiatives. This launch is a milestone in our efforts to develop and enhance space science and technology in our country," said Phil Mjwara, director general of the department of science and technology.
The satellite carries a high-resolution camera that will produce images for use in monitoring agriculture, mapping infrastructure and land use, tracking population movement and measuring the water levels of dams. This is expected to boost economic performance, which has taken a hit from the vagaries of nature, especially in the agricultural sector.
Data will be streamed to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's Satellite Applications Centre (SAC) at Hartbeeshoek, near Pretoria, for analysis and policy development purposes. The SAC will carry out command and communication functions by tracking the satellite using a large dish antenna.
The satellite also carries a secondary communication payload from the Department of Communications as well as experimental payloads for the scientific community in areas including low-frequency radio waves and radiation.
SumbandilaSat cost the government 26 million South African rand (US$3.35 million) and is expected to perform better than NIGICOMSAT, which was launched by the Nigerian government and has had to undergo repairs. Another satellite, RASCOMSTAR, was launched in 2007 by a conglomerate of 56 African countries but had a helium leak shortly after launch, and only two transponders were left working.