Name the CubeSat and win fantastic prizes

	ZACube-1 was designed and built mainly by postgraduate students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in conjunction with SANSA
	Cubesats provide hands-on experience for engineers and technologists in their design and construction, and, once in orbit, the data needed to support scientific experiments and projects
	These tiny satellites have come a long way since Sputnik, the first satellite that was launched in 1957, weighing 83 kg

CubeSats are extremely small satellites in the form of 10 cm cubes and with a mass of up to 1 kg (although there are some made up of two or three such cubes).

Originally developed in the US, they are becoming increasingly popular with universities and technology institutes around the world due to their considerable educational benefits. These tiny satellites have come a long way since Sputnik, the first satellite that was launched in 1957, weighing 83 kg. The success of the CubeSat programme has revolutionised space technology.

Cubesats provide hands-on experience for engineers and technologists in their design and construction, and, once in orbit, the data needed to support scientific experiments and projects.

ZACube-1 will be placed in orbit at an altitude of 600 km. Its main mission will be to gather data on space weather for the South African National Space Agency (SANSA). Space weather refers to the ever changing conditions on the Sun and in space that can affect technological systems on Earth or in space, or which could imperil human life or health.

ZACube-1 was designed and built mainly by postgraduate students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in conjunction with SANSA as part of the CubeSat programme.

Enter our competition to name the CubeSat and win fantastic prizes

Entries are invited from learners in Grades 9 to 12. The recommended name for the CubeSat should be accompanied by a short description of 200 words explaining its significance. The name should have a South African context.

For more information and to enter online, visit the competition’s web page.

By Daphney Molewa, Corporate Communicator, SAASTA