The Team
Meet the engineers, scientists, and visionaries building Africa's sovereign presence in space.
4+
Core Team Members
12+
Years Combined Exp.
3
Patents Held
5
Universities
Leading the vision to build independent, world-class orbital infrastructure and advanced aerospace technology for the African continent. Siyabonga founded SouthOrbit to close the gap between Africa and the global space economy.
BSc Biomedical Engineering
Cyprus International University
Present
Jessica Dlamini
Chief Operating OfficerDriving global partnerships, mission control logistics, and ensuring rapid scalability of SouthOrbit's agricultural drone and satellite deployment initiatives across 14 African nations.
BSc Industrial Engineering
Stellenbosch University
2017
MSc Operations Management
University of Cape Town
2020
Dr. Thabo Ndlovu
Chief Technology OfficerSpearheading the engineering and development of next-generation ion propulsion systems and deep-space telemetry architecture. Holds 3 patents in satellite micro-propulsion.
BSc Electrical Engineering
University of Pretoria
2013
PhD Propulsion Systems
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2018
Sarah Van Der Merwe
Head of Autonomous SystemsLeading the AI and Robotics division, engineering the software stack that allows our satellite constellations to self-heal, self-navigate, and make real-time decisions in deep orbit.
BSc Computer Science
University of Cape Town
2015
MSc Artificial Intelligence
University of Edinburgh
2017
Ready to Build Africa's Space Future?
We're always looking for exceptional engineers, scientists, and operators to join the SouthOrbit team.
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