Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Launch 3 South African-Made Nanosatellites: Why This Is Historically Important

SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks on a screen during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on June 29, 2021. Nacho Doce/Reuters

Elon Musk is giving a major hat-tip to his birthplace by launching the first nanosatellite constellation made entirely in South Africa on today’s SpaceX Transporter-3 mission.

What Happened

According to a report from South Africa’s News24, the three nanosatellites are part of the first Maritime Domain Awareness Satellite constellation (MDASat-1) and will be deployed in low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 326 miles.

According to the South African Department of Science and Innovation, the nanosatellites will be used to monitor the nation’s coastline.

Why It Matters

This will be the first time a satellite constellation developed entirely on the African continent will orbit the Earth. Blade Nzimande, South Africa’ minister of higher education, science, and innovation, hailed the launch as a major step forward for his nation’s space industry.