Our family has a ritual on New Year’s Eve every year to reflect on the past year and write down all the significant things that happened to us that year, as well as to read what we wrote the year before regarding what we looked forward to or expected for the following year. In general, as everyone contributes to the list, we have these “Oh yes!” moments and general disbelief that so many things happened in the space of only one year, coupled with how different the past year turned out from what we thought it would.

As I looked back over 2022 from a SIMTEQ perspective, apart from the events and major milestones in our company’s history, I couldn’t help but also think about world events which made the headlines or which had a significant impact on our lives in South Africa.

Covid was everywhere and then, forgotten. Russia started a war in Ukraine and suddenly, our friends in Europe also seem to understand what load shedding and food shortages mean.

Elon Musk bought Twitter, then didn’t, then did and the soccer world cup kicked off in Qatar under great controversy while soccer fans cheer and human atrocities are topics for another day.

Politically the world is in turmoil while technologically, it seems there is just no slowing down the progress being made, or limits to what can still be done.

This is the world we all play a part in building, or destructing.

Are we making the world a better place? Intuitively, you may say no, but look at these well-researched statics you’ll find HERE and these tangible numbers are stating yes!

Child mortality rates are arguably the best indicator there is to the real state of a nation. A parent will do anything to save a sick child and will protect their children to the best of their abilities. This indicator covers everything from general living conditions, nutrition, education, financial ability and available health services.

Our world is improving despite what the media wants you to believe, just look at the numbers and ask yourself what role you play in it.

I would like to wish you a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year and it is my sincere hope that you will rest this holiday season and travel safely regardless of where you will be.

On 1 November 2022, the first commercial flight of the Falcon Heavy launch system took place. For some people, it is just a tool, a method to deliver a payload into earth’s orbit, but for the engineers and scientists involved (as well as any space enthusiast) it was a dramatic show, worthy of a best picture nomination.

The Falcon Heavy launch system is in essence a Falcon 9 launch system where the first stage has been tripled. That’s right, THREE Falcon 9 first stages can provide more than 22MN of thrust from their 27 Merlin rocket engines. This means that SpaceX can launch 63.8t into low earth orbit (more than double that of the Space Shuttle), 26.7t into geosynchronous transfer orbit, or as much as 16.8t to Mars (more than enough to get an elephant to the Martian zoo), on a single launch.

The best of all is that these rockets are reusable, with rockets returning to a landing platform to be used again. Thus far SpaceX has performed 190 launches with 152 rocket landings and 126 re-flights.

Perfect landing:

On 16 November the first ARTEMIS mission launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B. This launch is the first step of the ARTEMIS missions, to return humans to and establish a long-term presence on the moon.

ARTEMIS I is essentially the shake-down mission, to ensure everything is working as expected before the first crewed flight with the ARTEMIS II mission.