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Hypernova Space Technologies Eyeing For Rocket Launch

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Africa is demonstrating significant growth in the commercial space industry. The government introduced policy reforms and implemented programs in support of the increasing demand for space technologies. Plus, many encourage companies to invest in communication satellite development across the continent. Hypernova Space Technologies in Cape Town is changing the game in space missions.

The company developed a thruster system capable of propelling even the most minor satellites. Hypernova claimed that this cutting-edge technology is helpful for small satellites weighing less than 10 kilograms. It is also suitable for CubeSats, a type of minisatellite for space research measuring 10cm.

Most satellites are just computers tossed out the side of a rocket tumbling in space – Jonathan Lun. 

At present, about 3,200 nanosatellites are floating in space which will possibly increase exponentially over time. SpaceX alone is planning to launch a constellation consisting of 42,000 satellites. However, experts worry that this rapid increase may lead to severe problems in the future. When left unmanaged, nanosatellites risk colliding with each other, causing debris that might be dangerous for other ongoing missions. 

A SpaceX rocket tested in May using the company’s latest nanosatellites (Source: BBC)

Milestones Of Hypernova’s Thruster Technology Development 

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) researched Thruster tech but never fully succeeded. About a decade ago, Jonathan Lun, Hypernova’s Co-Founder and CEO, discovered an alternative fuel for space exploration. Then, he found out that an electric reaction could vaporize solid metal fuel. Then it allowed a jet of fast-moving plasma that could push a satellite forward. Mr. Lun also proved that solid fuels are stable enough to support the launching of a thruster system.
  • Notable improvements were discovered during the series of tests undertaken by the team. There is no need for refueling during the launch or about the material being toxic or damaged, according to Stephen Tillemans, the head of engineering of Hypernova Space Technologies. 
  • Hypernova has successfully undertaken several environmental tests. They tested the product by running it into a vacuum, within extreme temperature, and also with high vibration. 
  • Hypernova’s first space mission is scheduled in early 2022 in partnership with EnduroSat, a company located in Bulgaria. They are targeting to evaluate the performance of the thruster technology in space. They will also calculate its force to determine whether it could successfully change the orbit of a satellite.

Hypernova Space Technologies Pushes For Partnerships With Other Organizations

MIT and ESA

Hypernova Space Technology continues to build partnerships in the area of research and development. Other organizations also showed their interest in investing in the development of thruster technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) takes part in the study of a 3D-printed thruster. It is a first-of-its-kind nanosatellite thruster that uses a combination of 3D printing and hydrothermal growth of zinc oxide nanowires. 

The 3D-printed thruster produces pure ions from the ionic liquid that causes propulsion. Researchers are hoping for the technology to be cost-efficient propulsion for miniature satellites. The pure ions enable the thruster system to become more efficient compared with similar modern devices. It generates more thrust per unit flow of propellant, as revealed by Luis Fernando Velasquez-Garcia of MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories. 

MIT’s 3D-printed thruster (Source: MIT News)

The European Space Agency (ESA) introduced its Helicon Plasma Thruster. This compact thruster system is ideal for the propulsion of small satellites and maintaining the formation of prominent orbital constellations.

The Helicon Plasma Thruster uses high-power radiofrequency waves to stimulate fuel into a plasma. It was first tested in 2015 and is continuously being improved into a more compact and lighter design. Since then, the product will receive research funding from the European Commission’s Strategic Research Cluster on Electric Propulsion. The objective of the research is to further develop the technology into a viable option for small satellites. The result of the study is the new “Helicon Plasma Thruster of in-space applications”. 

South African Organizations

Aside from these recent developments, Hypernova is also collaborating with other industry players in South Africa. One of which is the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at Stellenbosch University. The group is currently developing a technology that would allow satellites to dock with each other. The institutions may release more details about the study soon.

More importantly, the government has been supportive of Africa’s space industry. Since the first launch of the continent’s first-ever satellite over two decades ago, 44 more have been sent into space by 13 countries. Some 125 satellites are being developed and are expected to be launched into space by 2025. Based on a 2021 World Economic Forum report, data collected by satellites is valued at approximately 2 billion dollars per year.

Challenges and Next Steps 

The active partnership with the African government and other organizations plays a crucial role in the success of the Hypernova Space Technology space mission. Support to local businesses engaging in this type of project is critical. However, the continent’s space industry still has to overcome several challenges, mainly lack of resources. Considering the capabilities of the US and Europe, the comparison is indeed apples to oranges. 

There is more private funding available within the United States or European region. Whereas in Africa, it is a given fact that space technology is not a top priority. Changing the mindset of the government and the general public is another thing. Hopefully, this capital-intensive project will not fall through even with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Everyone must stay in control amidst the ever-changing world of technology. Investors need to adapt to these changes quickly. For Mr. Jonathan Lun, the only way to move forward is to scale-up Hypernova’s thruster technology. The cutting-edge technology has a strong potential for much bigger satellites and successful space explorations.

He is confident that using metal as fuel will open more extensive opportunities for the industry. Therefore, replacing the rare, expensive liquid and gas fuels with low-cost metal fuels is a game-changer.

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Top 10 Artificial Intelligence Solutions Your Business SHOULD Use

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Nowadays, many of our tasks at work can be completed with a single click. However, there are still software solutions that offer more: they can automate everything and provide crucial data to help your business grow. Here are the ten best artificial intelligence solutions you should be exploring now.

1. IBM Watson Studio

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

IBM Watson has been a trusted name in technology. It even garnered attention when it guest-starred on Jeopardy! But IBM Watson is now within reach for businesses with the IBM Watson Studio. This is one of the most utilized artificial intelligence solutions that financial and medical institutions could use.

Features:

  • Build model pipelines
  • Refine data with a graphical flow editor
  • Visual tooling
  • Open source framework
  • Model embedding, monitoring, and management
  • Data access through the cloud
  • AI model drag-and-drop
  • Transaction details
  • Lifecycle automation

2. Salesforce Einstein

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

If you need to optimize your CRM tasks, using Salesforce Einstein is your best bet. If you want to get more leads and nurture them, Salesforce Einstein helps you understand them better through deep insights. Plus, you don’t have to do the guesswork anymore. Einstein will help you understand the next steps when nurturing leads and converting them into customers. Not to mention, Einstein can also help you with customer service.

3. Edgeverve ExtractEdge

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

Optimize your business process with Edgeverve ExtractEdge. Previously known as Infosys Nia, your business will have a much more efficient way in processing documents. One of its benefits is getting intelligence from documents. From there, they process the data and help enterprises and businesses with their productivity and decision-making processes. Two industries that can greatly benefit from this artificial intelligence solution are banking and insurance.

4. Azure Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

Get things done faster with your own frameworks and models through Azure Machine Learning. This artificial intelligence solution is ideal for data scientists and software engineers to automate and streamline several business processes using Machine Learning. Here are some of their notable features:

  • Data labeling
  • Collaborative notebooks
  • Drag-and-drop machine learning
  • Responsible machine learning
  • Model registry and audit trail
  • Managed endpoints
  • Interoperability with other Azure services
  • Data preparation
  • Automated machine learning
  • Reinforcement learning

5. H2O AI

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

H2O AI is one of the most utilized artificial intelligence solutions because it is jam-packed with features. Not only that, H2O AI can be used by industries or institutions like financial services, governments, health, insurance, manufacturing, marketing, retail, and telecommunications.

With H2O AI, you can ensure that you can build accurate models quickly. Plus, they’re also transparent! You can also analyze business performance and know how to adapt to changes. Plus, you can become an innovator in your field!

Under their Make, Operate, and Innovate approaches, here are their platform’s capabilities:

  • Feature Transformation
  • Machine Learning
  • Explainable AI
  • Low Code App Development
  • Machine Learning Operations
  • AI AppStore

6. Coro

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

If your business is prone to cyberattacks or cannot afford to have a cyberattack, artificial intelligence solutions can protect you from that. One of them is Coro. Coro ensures that your company is protected from any hacking or malware infecting your emails, devices, and cloud apps! Aside from protecting you, Coro will alert you on your next steps to ensure you’re safe.

7. Vertex AI

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

Vertex AI is Google’s own machine learning and AI platform. You can train and deploy your AI or machine learning models. Plus, you can also do the following:

  • Data Labeling
  • Feature Store
  • Workbench

You can launch your models through the Google Cloud, and you can access or view data anytime through Cloud Logging and Monitoring.

8. Rendered.ai

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

For your autonomous systems, defense applications, or advanced computer vision needs, there’s Rendered.ai. It specializes in generating physics-based synthetic datasets that make it easy for you to train AI models when real-world data is scarce, unavailable, or impractical.

  • Autonomous Vehicles and Robotics – Simulate rare driving situations that are too costly or dangerous to see in real life.
  • Defense and Aerospace – Can generate synthetic radar, infrared, and multispectral data for training AI models for mission-critical environments.
  • Healthcare Imaging – Can create synthetic X-rays to improve diagnostic AI systems

9. Tealium

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

Marketers rejoice, Tealium is an artificial intelligence solution to optimize your marketing campaigns. Tealium ensures that you can grow and acquire your audience! They do it through segmentation and audience insights. But it doesn’t stop there. The AI solution also helps you with loyalty, retention, customer experience, and personalization. Other solutions are:

  • Predictive insights and customer analytics
  • Data collection and privacy
  • Single view of the customer
  • Operationalizing mobile data

The industries that can greatly benefit from Tealium are:

  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Pharma
  • Retail
  • Sports & Entertainment
  • Travel & Hospitality

10. Sisense

Artificial Intelligence Solutions

Here’s another business processing AI solution to help your business operate smoothly. Sisense will help you learn more about your company from every department. If you’re running marketing campaigns, Sisense can analyze them and improve your ROI. You can also get data to improve performance. Plus, you can mitigate risk through analytics.

Final Thoughts

Artificial intelligence solutions can streamline business processes, create models for data scientists and software engineers, and analyze data. With AI’s help, you can increase productivity and get more value for your business.

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Business

OpenStudio – Business Management All-In-One

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This article focuses on OpenStudio.one, an all-in-one business management suite, not the OpenStudio building energy modeling software developed by the U.S. Department of Energy.

We all need a service that makes business easier, right? Managing your team, your finances, your documents, and your customers can be an arduous juggle. There are a few services out there that help businesses manage all of this.

But have you heard of OpenStudio? No? Well, allow us to make a proper introduction. 

OpenStudio helps you centralize all the applications and services you may need in order to run a business. 

This app prides itself on helping businesses “save money and countless hours of development,” giving them easy access to all the business tools they need in one platform.

Some of the top features offered by OpenStudio are necessary in order to run a business, but haven’t necessarily been rolled into one package.

OpenStudio offers the following features: 

  • Administration
  • Cloud & Benefits
  • Data & Records
  • General Services
  • Human Resources
  • Support

This app also offers IT protocol and documents management, permissions and authorization management, and digital signing of documents.

If you’re looking for a tool that will help you centralize the apps, applications, and services you regularly use, OpenStudio is worth checking out.

The best part? Using this tool is completely free as of the time of writing in 2026, without the need for a credit card to register. The website says they may introduce advanced paid plans in the future.

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Business

How to Determine Which Social Network Is Right For Your Business

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social network for business

Often times startups hop on every major social network to look “present,” but fail to keep up with all of their accounts. Sometimes being present online, but failing to be consistent on your profiles is worse than not having a social account at all. Imagine a customer browsing your website, and they decide to hit the “Facebook” icon to like your page so that they can stay updated on your sales. As they are linked to your company’s page- they see posts from 2014. They will start questioning how legit your business is or if your business is still active. You could seriously lose a potential customer! Keeping up to date with a company page is a lot of work, and you can’t afford to be on every single social media platform. You need to understand which network (or networks) fits the best for your business, and focus on that.  

Facebook: The Universal Hub

Let’s start with Facebook. Facebook has over 1 billion monthly users worldwide- and 73% of the US adult population, which means that you can basically reach consumers in every industry. It is a great place to start to test your social media campaigns. Facebook is best for building brand awareness, staying familiar with your current customers, and grabbing the attention of potential customers. To have a Facebook profile, you need to stay committed to posting at least once a day, with high quality content (pictures and videos do a lot better than plain text). Although Facebook does work for B2B businesses, it is where the B2C business truly shines. But, regardless of the industry or the size of your demographics, you will most likely be able to bring exposure to your company and establish a true community around your brand. Facebook is the only social media platform you should be on no matter what field you are in.

Twitter: The Real-Time Conversation

The second most talked about social media network is Twitter. Twitter has 230 million monthly users- and on this platform the users have a higher tendency to follow brands than any other network. Twitter is most popular with young adults ages 18 -29, living in very popular urban areas. Twitter is best for building brand awareness, release breaking news, building relationships with customers and influencers and for handling public complaints (users tend to vent on Twitter). The types of businesses that do best on Twitter are: musicians/influencers, publications, news organizations, marketing companies, and sports related businesses. To have a Twitter profile, you must post a few times a day, and you should be interacting with your industry’s community.

Instagram: The Visual Storyteller

Instagram is becoming one of the fastest growing networks, and brands are getting so creative with their marketing strategies! Instagram has over 500 million monthly users- most are female, younger than 35, living in urban areas. According to Forrester Research- Instagram users were 58 times more likely to engage with brands compared to Facebook and Twitter. Instagram is best building brand awareness, interacting with customers and influencers, staying familiar with existing customers, and grabbing the attention of potential customers. Instagram is usually best for B2C companies, but users are slowly moving from Facebook and Twitter into Instagram so that may change soon for the B2B world. The types of businesses that do best on Instagram are: fashion brands, retailers, Etsy shops, bloggers, home décor brands, active/sports/fitness related. On Instagram, visual storytelling is an art form, so brands need to be willing to post consistent high quality content and able to engage with followers regularly.  

Pinterest: The Inspiration Engine

Another fast growing network is Pinterest. It use to be just for moms looking for recipes, brides looking for wedding décor, and new parents looking for baby advice, but it has evolved into much more. Pinterest has over 110 million monthly users. 73% of users are females between the ages of 18-50. Pinterest is best for driving referral traffic back to your blog, video, or store. Pinterest is best for B2C businesses whose niche is: cooking, arts and crafts, clothing/fashion, baby items, home décor/design, event décor, or gift items. This is a goldmine for creative industries as you can communicate directly to the customer. Since users are constantly “repining,” you may receive free marketing from fans that repin your image to their followers. To have a business Pinterest profile, you must be ready to update it every time you post a blog, throw an event, or have a new item in stock. People want easy, digestible content like infographics, quotes, blog title graphics, close ups of décor, outfit ideas, etc. Make sure to title your picture appropriately, write a relevant description that has relevant keywords, and link it back to your website.

LinkedIn: The Professional Network

LinkedIn is the only social network that is specifically for B2B companies. It was designed for educated professionals looking to advance their careers and stay well connected within their industries. LinkedIn has over 106 million monthly users, both male and female ranging in ages 25-64. Most users have a bachelor’s degree or higher. LinkedIn is best if business development is a core focus. It is a great tool to build brand awareness, promote career opportunities, and educate potential customers on your products and services. To have a LinkedIn company page, you must be ready to update it a few times a week sharing company updates, content that relates to your industry, and interact with industry related groups. Unlike most social media networks, LinkedIn is the place where everything you communicate should be professional.

The Verdict: Where Should You Start?

To determine which social network(s) is right for your business, finish this sentence: “My target audience is on _________.” The next step is getting started on the one or two best options. Once you get the hang of it and create a community of followers, you can move on to adding another social media platform to your list. Whatever you choose, just be sure to be consistent in posting high quality content. You NEED to be active on social media if you want to have a successful business.  The beauty of social media is that it is FREE marketing. It may take a few months of dedication of working on your profile, gaining followers and building your engagement. But if you apply the right tactics, overtime you will see an increase in awareness of your brand and interest in your product or services.

And for other articles, read more here at Owner’s Mag!

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