Dylan Bettencourt
An agriculture satellite manufactured in Stellenbosch is jetting off to the United States for its pre-launch tests at Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
The satellite, named EOS SAT-1, will enhance sustainable industry practices and was created by Dragonfly Aerospace.
The manufacturing company explained that the satellite will provide the agriculture and forestry industry with high-quality data that supports efficient practices.
After EOS SAT, six other satellites will be deployed by 2025.
The pre-launch test in America at the launch site of SpaceX, owned by South African born Musk, will take place in December when it is sent into low Earth orbit.
The satellite will provide information picked up from harvest monitoring.
“This data will support growers with reducing carbon dioxide emissions and help them to develop sustainable agricultural methods without financial losses,” Dragonfly Aerospace said, Business Insider reported.
“Such information will have important environmental benefits for the planet and help prevent natural habitats from being diminished for crop growth.”
Dragonfly CEO Bryan Dean claims the satellite is the first of its kind across the globe.
“This has been an important project for our whole team and has allowed us to demonstrate our capabilities, not just in producing high-performance electro-optical imagers, but in designing and manufacturing a full imaging satellite system,” Dean said.
“It’s an amazing feeling to see EOS SAT-1 leave our premises and take the next step in its journey to delivering crucial data that will have important environmental benefits for our planet.”
Pictured above: EOS SAT-1 agricultural satellite
Image source: @BusinessInsider
