10
Objects launched
10
Payloads
Most recent objects
GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)| Object | Launched | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDASat-1a | 2022 Jan 13 | Payload | Reentered |
| MDASat-1c | 2022 Jan 13 | Payload | Reentered |
| MDASat-1b | 2022 Jan 13 | Payload | Reentered |
| ZACUBE-2 | 2018 Dec 27 | Payload | Reentered |
| ZA-AeroSat | 2017 Apr 18 | Payload | Reentered |
| nSIGHT 1 | 2017 Apr 18 | Payload | Reentered |
| Kondor-E | 2014 Dec 19 | Payload | Reentered |
| TshepisoSat | 2013 Nov 21 | Payload | Operating |
| Sumbandila-OSCAR-67 | 2009 Sep 17 | Payload | Reentered |
| Sunsat-OSCAR-35 | 1999 Feb 23 | Payload | Operating |
Objects by decade
GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)1990s1
2000s1
2010s5
2020s3
Source: GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Space objects launched | 10 objectsGCAT [2026] |
| First space object | Sunsat-OSCAR-35GCAT [2026] |
| First launch (year) | 1,999GCAT [2026] |
| Most recent launch (year) | 2,022GCAT [2026] |
| Active satellites | No authoritative open source found |
| Total tracked objects | No authoritative open source found |
- 1976 - established a satellite remote sensing (RS)/radio astronomy center (originally built by the US in 1961 to receive data from US space missions)
- 1980s - conducted program to launch reconnaissance satellites on a domestically produced satellite launch vehicle (abandoned in 1994 along with nuclear program)
- 1999 - first domestically built RS/technology demonstrator microsatellite (Sunsat-1) launched by US
- 2009 - first government-owned and -operated RS/scientific/technology demonstrator satellite (SumbandilaSat) launched by Russia
- 2018 - inaugurated a radio space telescope array (Karoo Array Telescope or MeerKAT)
- 2021 - began construction of the international Square Kilometer Array radio telescope observatory; launched a sounding rocket for research purposes to an altitude of nearly 18,000 km (11,185 mi)
- 2022 - opened Africa's first regional space weather center
- 2023 - agreed to participate in China's international lunar research station project
Source: CIA World Factbook (Historical Archive — final edition) · CC0 · Edition 2026-05
