A
South
African
Odyssey
2024 Solar Challenge
If you’re a regular follower, you’ll know that every year, we provide satellite connectivity to the Belgium Solar Team along with our partners, global satellite operator Intelsat and flat panel antenna manufacturer, Kymeta.
Alternating between races in South Africa and Australia, the team battles against other solar car developers, to get to the finish line using solar power only. It’s a fascinating and exciting race that is hugely strategic and pushes the teams to their limits.
This year, the Sasol Solar Challenge was held in South Africa and the race covered around 4000 km from Johannesburg to Cape Town via Jeffrey’s Bay. The ultimate winner was the team that managed to clock the most kilometres on their car. The Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, with two previous wins under their belt, had the experience but could they bring in another victory in South Africa?
CONNECTIVITY
IS KEY
What do the partners bring to the table?
The connectivity provided to the teams is more than simply a means to keep in touch. It is integral to the race strategy, providing a plethora of critical information from weather data to information on roads and location and mapping applications.
Leveraging the strengths of the connectivity partners, together we create the optimum solution to see the team to the finish line.
Intelsat powered the space segment element of the team’s satcom connectivity with its Intelsat FlexMove solution designed to power data-intense applications.
The team used the KymetaTM Hawk u8 antenna to connect to satellites. The Kymeta Hawk u8 antenna is a flat panel antenna designed for mobile applications. It’s a complete connectivity solution ready to provide on-the-go communication.
ST Engineering’s iDirect modem technology is integrated into the Kymeta Hawk u8 and it features advanced mobility capabilities.
Source: Intelsat Service Management Platform (SMP)
“Keeping the Innoptus Solar Team connected throughout the Sasol Solar Challenge has been incredibly rewarding. With Intelsat’s Global satellite connectivity fabric, we enabled the team with reliable satellite connectivity, empowering them to strategize, analyze data, and communicate effectively, even in the most remote and challenging environments.
It’s a testament to the power of satellite communications and our commitment to supporting the future of STEM.”
Karan Anand, Director, Product Management, Networks Enterprise, Intelsat
Source: Intelsat Service Management Platform (SMP)
“Having the opportunity to personally engage with the Innoptus Solar Team during their participation in the Sasol Solar Race in South Africa. The level of planning ultimate dedication and laser like focus of the team was astounding and knowing that our solution forms a key part of their strategy was truly rewarding. Looking forward to see what successes 2025 will hold for the Innoptus Solar team with ST Engineering supporting them along the way.”
Jurie Geldenhuys, Senior Manager Sales Engineering, ST Engineering iDirect
Source: Intelsat Service Management Platform (SMP)
“It’s so rewarding to see the features we've developed bringing real value to the business.
Using Intelsat’s Service Management Platform (SMP), we created a custom dashboard that enabled real-time tracking of the Innoptus Team’s connectivity performance throughout the Sasol Solar Challenge. It was fascinating to watch the race unfold through the lens of SMP and see how critical connectivity was to the team’s success.”
Felippe Paiva, Principal Customer Experience Success Manager Intelsat
Source: Intelsat Service Management Platform (SMP)
“Kymeta is proud to support the innovation and determination of the Innoptus solar racing team, empowering the next generation of sustainable technology leaders. Together, we push the boundaries of connectivity and clean energy to shape a brighter, more connected future.
With our sleek, low-profile, low-powered designed antenna, the teams were able to have high-speed communications in the most remote areas of the world and stay ahead of their competitors, winning the race!”
Niladri Kundu, Director, Global Solutions Engineering, Kymeta
CONNECTIVITY
FOR SUCCESS
Advanced technology and strategic decision-making played crucial roles in achieving a leading position. Here are some key moments where innovation and teamwork made the difference
Decision making
The right connectivity enables problem solving, empowering the team to make daring decisions.
Simon De Baere, Race Strategist Engineer: “We faced a critical choice between driving 7 or 8 loops through the Kalahari Desert, a region without 4G connectivity. The feasibility of completing 8 loops depended heavily on wind conditions and updated weather forecasts.”
The team could only access fresh forecasting information from the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (KMI) every 12 hours. As the team would start racing at 8am, forecasts would not be available to them until 9am which was no good as they needed to know exactly what to expect.
The connectivity supplied by the partners meant that the team could download the latest forecasts in real-time, enabling them to confidently go for the 8 loops. This decision allowed the team to cover 98km more than their key competitors, Twente and Delft, securing a lead that they maintained until the end of the race.