Dr Robert van Zyl started his career in space as the founding Director of the Satellite Programme at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town. He spearheaded the nanosatellite industry in South Africa and Africa, and under his leadership, the team developed Africa’s first nanosatellite, ZACube-1, which was launched into space in 2013.
Dr Robert joined the AAC Clyde Space Group in 2021 as the founding Managing Director of its affiliate, AAC Space Africa, in South Africa to leverage the considerable resources within the Group for the development of the space industry in Africa. The Group specialises in small satellite technologies and services that enable businesses, governments and educational organisations to access real-time data from space. Dr Robert’s career objectives are driven by a vision to make a tangible contribution to unlocking the vast human capacity in Africa for the socio-economic benefit of its people, using space-based solutions.