The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) is providing key support to Nasa’s Artemis Two mission by hosting a communication antenna. The mission, which launched last week, involves four astronauts on a ten-day fly-by around the Moon. Sansa’s role includes tracking the Orion capsule for trajectory and health data.
The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) hosts one of three Nasa Lunar Exploration Ground Site communication antennas at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, located 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg.
Artemis Two, a United States spaceflight mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday last week. It sends four astronauts on a ten-day journey for a fly-by around the Moon.
Sansa Executive Director of Space Operations, Raoul Hodges, explained the agency’s contribution. “In the case of the Orion capsule, South Africa is contracted via a third party to track the spacecraft mainly for ranging purposes and telemetry data,” he said. Ranging ensures the capsule’s trajectory is correct, while telemetry monitors spacecraft health, such as batteries and power supply. This data is relayed from Hartebeesthoek to Washington.
South Africa’s involvement highlights its role in international space efforts through established infrastructure like the Hartebeesthoek observatory.
