Durban: The future of aerospace engineering in South Africa made significant progress this week with the grand opening of the advanced manufacturing facility, along with the new headquarters of the Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
According to South African Government News Agency, unveiled by Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Dr. Mlungisi Cele, on Tuesday, the state-of-the-art hub is a strategic step towards ensuring the global competitiveness of the country’s innovation system. Cele highlighted the value of strategic government, higher education, and industry alliances to achieve national priorities. He emphasized that the ASRI and advanced manufacturing initiatives strengthened the link between research excellence and industrial application-a cornerstone of the department’s vision for a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy.
Dr. Cele noted the urgent need for a new generation of skilled engineers, scientists, and innovators to drive productivity, competitiveness, and inclusive growth. He mentioned that facilities like this are crucial in providing students with hands-on experience using cutting-edge technologies while fostering creativity and problem-solving skills essential for the nation’s future. He identified additive manufacturing, robotics, and advanced materials as important areas for capacity development. Cele added that the DSTI’s Science, Technology and Innovation Decadal Plan stressed the need to promote localization and technology-driven manufacturing and to equip the youth with skills for the fourth industrial revolution.
ASRI, initially founded in 2009 as the Aerospace Systems Research Group, became an official institute within the School of Engineering at UKZN in 2022. Its mission is to establish itself as a global center of excellence in aerospace propulsion research and development, aiming to support South Africa’s space engineering economy and cultivate skilled human capital in aerospace propulsion engineering.
Professor Fhatuwani Mudau, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science at UKZN, expressed gratitude to the DSTI for their trust in the university. He assured that the investment would transform the university into a catalyst for change, positioning ASRI as a model and leader in advancing science and building capacity within the country. Mudau was excited by the national recognition UKZN had earned through ASRI’s rocket science and encouraged young engineers working at ASRI and the advanced manufacturing facility to seize this opportunity fully.
Professor Glen Snedden, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at UKZN, stated that the new office infrastructure and manufacturing capability represented a visible commitment to the program, which was both enabling and motivating for engineers and students. ASRI also offers postgraduate study opportunities to promising students from around the country and is currently working with graduates from Stellenbosch University, the Universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand, as well as UKZN.
Snedden revealed plans to move to a newly developed facility on a vacant piece of university land. This would enable the development of a local test capability for the static firing of motors, and with further development, they envisage the co-development of a production facility, offices, lecture theatres, and an outreach center, all centered around aerospace studies and research. He concluded that if all goes well, they will be launching a suborbital rocket into space within five years and progressing to orbital launches within ten years.
The new ASRI offices feature, among other things, a boardroom with teleconferencing capabilities, a meeting room for smaller gatherings, and an advanced computing facility for simulation work.