Innovation spotlight · 30 September 2026 · 3 min read
MDASat-1: Cape Town students put a satellite constellation in orbit
Designed and built at CPUT and launched on a SpaceX rocket in 2022, the MDASat-1 satellites help keep watch over South Africa’s seas.
South Africa has a long coastline and a large ocean economy: fishing, shipping and more. Watching that much sea from the shore is close to impossible, which makes it easier for illegal fishing and unsafe vessels to go unseen.
Small satellites, big view
At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s French South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI), students and engineers designed and built MDASat-1, a group of small nanosatellites that work together. CPUT describes it as the first satellite constellation developed and designed in Africa.
On 13 January 2022, the satellites launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-3 mission.
What it does
Ships broadcast identification signals, known as AIS, as they travel. MDASat-1 picks up those signals from orbit, helping to track vessels in South African waters. The work supports Operation Phakisa, the national programme to grow the ocean economy.
Built on what came before
MDASat-1 was CPUT’s third satellite mission, after ZACube-1 and ZACube-2. Each mission trained a new group of young engineers, which may be the biggest win of all.
Space can feel like something other countries do. MDASat-1 shows a South African university, with local talent, building for the continent’s own needs.
Sources
Independent editorial summary, not a Launchpad campaign or endorsement. No affiliation is implied. Claims describe the cited source’s publication period, not necessarily current performance; sources checked 30 September 2026.
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