Keynote Speaker at the ESTEQ Technology Forum 2010

Mr. Bart Cilliers
Managing Director: SunSpace

Bart joined SunSpace on 1 March 2005 and has been an active member of the Aerospace and Defence Industry for many years. He holds a B.Sc. B. (Eng.) in electrical engineering (light current) from the University of Stellenbosch,
an M. Sc. (Eng.) from Wits University and an MBL from UNISA. 

Bart served with Telkom, Barlows and Reunert after which he and a number of colleagues founded AMS, an avionics company, where he served as MD for a number of years. He also served as a member of the Standing Committee for Electronics, a statutory government body advising government on policy for the electronics industry, and held the office of President of the Electronics Industries Federation for a few terms, a body representing the interests of the electronics industry.  He is also a serving board member of AMD, the South African Defence Industry association, and is currently on the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Stellenbosch.

Key Message

The African Continent is experiencing the onset of the birth pangs of the African Renaissance, and SunSpace plans to play a key role in facilitating the emergence of African Space technology as the leading agent in establishing African credibility as a technology leader to be reckoned with.

SunSpace is a technology spin-off company that was formed in 2000 after the success of SUNSAT (Stellenbosch University Satellite) in space after it was launched by NASA on a Delta II rocket from the Vandenberg air force base in 1997, when the SU was asked to build a similar satellite for a foreign country.

Two Earth Observation satellites built by SunSpace are in orbit and are being used by the owners to take images on a daily basis.
We believe that we can help to prove that the best future for Africa lies in African technology from African soil for African prosperity.