New space company launches in South Africa
Swedish space company, AAC Clyde Space, has opened new offices in South Africa through a subsidiary, AAC Space Africa.
The group said that AAC Space Africa will design, build and deliver space missions to the continent from its Cape Town base in the Western Cape. The new subsidiary will also be the group’s centre of competence for advanced radio communication.
Dr. Robert van Zyl will lead as the new company’s managing director and Francois Visser as technical director. The two men have over 40 years of small satellite experience, having pioneered the African CubeSat industry through several missions, which include the first CubeSat launched by the continent.
The team’s initial focus will be on radio communication systems as well as sales and marketing, however AAC said that the team is expected to grow quickly in the coming year to meet demand from the African space economy, which is set to grow to R152 billion by 2024.
AAC said that it selected South Africa as the base for its new subsidiary as the country has an established space industry and a strong position in communication systems, with highly skilled engineers and data scientists.
AAC Space Africa will also be the centre of competence for advanced radio communication systems for the entire AAC group, becoming the worldwide supplier of advanced radio systems for AAC’s space missions.
Sources: BusinessTech
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