Ongoing
Engineering model assembly & 3D-printed enclosure test-fit complete.
Making The Unknown Observable™
Launching South Africa's
Next Generation of Space Innovation.
EAK-Orbitals engineers CubeSats and TubeSats for Earth observation and scientific research. Sustaino-1, our flagship 1U TubeSat, flies from Johannesburg to Sun-Synchronous Orbit with Interorbital Systems.
Countdown to Launch
Sustaino-1 · Target NET 15 January 2028
Launch Provider · Interorbital Systems
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Six Firsts · One Mission
Sustaino-1 is more than a satellite.
South Africa's First Youth Satellite
The World's First Satellite Infrastructure-Loss Satellite
Africa's First Youth Earth-Observation Satellite
The World's First Youth Mining Satellite
Africa's First Mineral-Detection Satellite
South Africa's First Sustainable Satellite
Diplomatic Engagement
Taking Sustaino-1 to the world's embassies.
EAK-Orbitals is actively meeting with embassies, high commissions and consulates — speaking to ambassadors and diplomatic staff about how their country can use our satellite, and how we can grow youth space engagement together.
Embassies & High Commissions
We are meeting with embassies and high commissions in South Africa to introduce Sustaino-1 and discuss how their country could use our satellite.
Ambassadors & Diplomatic Staff
Direct briefings with ambassadors and diplomatic staff on Earth-observation data, mineral and environmental monitoring, and disaster response.
Youth Space Engagement
Every meeting carries one goal beyond data: boosting youth space engagement in each partner country through our lecture series and open mission archive.
What We Build
CubeSats and TubeSats, built in South Africa.
EAK-Orbitals designs and manufactures small satellites for Earth observation and scientific research.
CubeSats
Standard 1U–6U CubeSat buses for Earth observation and hosted scientific payloads.
TubeSats
Cylindrical 1U TubeSat buses — our lowest-cost route to orbit, flown as Sustaino-1.
Bespoke missions
We specialise in CubeSats and TubeSats, but we can engineer to almost any mission brief.
Latest Mission Updates
Building in public — 17 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This month
Solar panel & flight computer subsystem integration under way.
Upcoming
Ground station RF chain and LoRa link budget verification.
Certified Sustainable
South Africa's first sustainable satellite.
EAK-Orbitals is certified by SACSIC — the South African Council for Sustainable Infrastructure and Communities.
Awarded the Certificate of Sustainability by SACSIC for being South Africa's only sustainable satellite manufacturing company, pursuing a cleaner and more sustainable future from space and from land.
View certificate ↗Live Progress
Mission Readiness · 49%
No coming-soons. Real percentages, updated as we build.
CAD Design100%
Software60%
Ground Station90%
Testing30%
Launch Readiness15%
Mission Statistics
The paper trail behind the payload.
17h
Per day, 7 days/week
3,400+
Engineering calculations
9
CAD versions
—
Emails sent
2,344
Sponsors contacted
—
Days until launch
Capabilities Matrix
Eighty capabilities across the programme.
From onboard autonomy to commercial data delivery — what EAK-Orbitals brings to a mission.
- 01Infrared mineral prospecting
Shortwave-infrared spectral signatures reveal surface mineralogy for exploration targeting.
- 02Live imagery tasking
Commercial clients can request passes over a defined area of interest.
- 03Sun-synchronous coverage
Consistent local solar time means comparable imagery, pass after pass.
- 04Edge-AI onboard processing
Frames are triaged in orbit so only useful data consumes downlink.
- 05LoRa 434 MHz downlink
Low-power, long-range telemetry proven on our own ground segment.
- 06UHF beacon
Independent health beacon receivable by amateur stations worldwide.
- 07EAK-GS1 ground station
Motorised az/el Yagi array in Johannesburg with Doppler correction.
- 08Redundant flight computer
ARM Cortex-M4 flight computer with watchdog supervision and safe-mode fallback.
- 09Body-mounted GaAs solar
High-efficiency cells across every facet of the TubeSat bus.
- 10Li-Po energy buffer
Sized for full eclipse operations plus imaging peaks.
- 11Passive thermal design
No moving parts, no fluid loops — survivable across orbital extremes.
- 12Radiation-tolerant layout
Shielded avionics ring and error-corrected memory scrubbing.
Intellectual Property
All designs and camera technology are patented.
EAK-Orbitals has patented its satellite designs and its imaging camera system. The bus architecture, spectral payload and associated processing may not be reproduced, manufactured or commercially exploited without a written licence from EAK-Orbitals (Pty) Ltd.
Quote of the Week
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
Future Missions
A roadmap, not a single shot.
- 🟢2027Sustaino-1 · Debut 1U TubeSat
- 🟡2028Sustaino-2 · Improved payload
- ⚪2029First CubeSat & 5+ satellites in orbit
- ⚪2030+Constellation · 8+ satellites
- ⚪2035Lunar mission & 15+ satellites in orbit
Our Vision
EAK-Orbitals exists to prove that world-class space engineering can begin with curiosity, determination, and a willingness to learn. Our goal is to make space more accessible while inspiring the next generation of innovators across South Africa and beyond.
Sponsors & Partners
Backing Sustaino-1.
Every rand and every logo helps push the flight model closer to orbit.
Gold Tier · Open
Become a sponsor →Silver Tier · Open
Become a sponsor →Bronze Tier · Open
Become a sponsor →Education Partner · Open
Become a sponsor →