Matjiesfontein (MTJ)
Matjiesfontein (MTJ)
Matjiesfontein (MTJ), a rural town outside Cape Town, is home to the new deep space complex for the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), with a primary focus on deep space exploration. This site will function as an extension of the renowned Hartebeesthoek (HBK) facility, celebrated for its world-class services in telemetry, tracking, and command operations. MTJ will be equipped with sophisticated technology designed for communication with satellites, probes, rockets, and terrestrial planets. Image Left: Deep Space Network, panoramic view of Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in Barstow, California. Credit: NASA Image right: The first geotechnical work at the Matjiesfontein site. Credit: SANSA
When did it all start?
As early as 2014, SANSA and NASA began discussions about the potential for a deep space complex in South Africa. After identifying several possible sites, a feasibility study was carried out. The outcomes of the study pointed towards Matjiesfontein as the optimal location that fulfilled all the necessary requirements for setting up a new ground station.
What makes MTJ special?
The MTJ site will form part of the new NASA Lunar Exploration Ground Segment (LEGS) network of three sites in the United States of America, South Africa and Australia. As the third site, it will complement the other two sites and provide improved coverage and redundancy for critical mission support. “The LEGS mission is to provide direct-to earth communication and navigation services for missions operating from 36,000 kilometers (km) in the GEO to cis Lunar and other orbits out to 2 Million km.”
