optimizing satellite constellations for maritime security in african region, further space applications across africa, and mitigating space debris in the sector
- Paper ID
95288
- DOI
- author
- company
University of Florida, Vicillion; University of Florida
- country
United States
- year
2025
- abstract
Maritime security has been a fundamental concern ever since the advent of ships and boats throughout human history, especially with the advancements in technology and globalization between different countries. One of the largest surface areas in the world (the second largest continent on the planet), Africa has a coastline that stretches about 48,000 kilometers (30,000 miles), shared among 38 coastal nations, and includes one of the most strategic sea lanes in the world, the Suez Canal, which accounts for about 12 per cent of global trade each year, and more than 30 per cent of all global shipping containers traffic passes through that area. The current state of maritime security issues around the African region is complex due to being shaped with a mix of the ongoing challenges, unexpected circumstances, and evolving threats; some of these current obstacles include piracy, maritime terrorism, and illegal trafficking and smuggling. The primary focus of this research project is investigating the use of constellation(s) of small satellites equipped capacities such as Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), multi-spectral and hyper-spectral imagery, and other capacities. Aside from mitigating maritime security issues, the constellation(s) of small satellites can be later updated for other applications such as, tracking wildlife poaching, disrupting illicit arms trade, tracking red tides (mostly noticed in Southern Africa), and assist in future spaceport operations within Africa. Other sectors such as agriculture, forestry, urban management, and monitoring natural disasters can use the data generated from the small satellite constellations to make important and critical decisions to their sectors. Once these methodologies are identified, decisions can be made about the instruments that are required to perform the intended functions (e.g., the payloads/components, the overall satellite design), the design of the constellation to identify the location of the small satellites while in constellation (i.e., the orbits) – while accounting for possible failures and how to mitigate the failures (i.e., space debris), and the power needed for data transmissions and data processing. East Africa, particularly Kenya, is making strides cementing themselves in the space sector with the drive to develop a commercially operated spaceport. The Kenyan spaceport would open up opportunities for research and development within the African continent to further advance the possible aerospace solutions discussed in this proposal, therefore, providing a ground for development, implementation, and testing to prove the concepts and try to replicate it in different regions around the world.