South African space company Hypernova takes on the universe

On 16 July 1969, the US Apollo 11 spacecraft set off on a mission to land the first humans on the moon. 

Exactly 49 years later, Hypernova Space Technologies – founded by South Africans in a rather serendipitous occurrence – registered as a space hardware company in Cape Town to develop systems that operate in Very Low Earth Orbits (VLEO). 

On Tuesday and on board a satellite from Bulgarian company Endurosat, Hypernova launched its first hardware into space, known as a propulsion system, that was assembled in South Africa by South Africans to compete with international space companies in making this intricate technology. 

In general terms, propulsion systems are used to keep a satellite in orbit and, without the technology, a satellite could decay and burn in the earth’s atmosphere. 

A propulsion system helps keep the satellite alive for longer.  

In the case of Hypernova’s hardware, it is used to manoeuvre the satellite when it is in orbit, helping it to avoid debris in space, as explained by company chief executive Gareth Halstead.