South Africa's satellite could blast off into space before the end of the year, with earlier differences of opinion between South Africa and Russia now resolved.

A report in Business Day says the Russia's space agency Roskosmos has agreed to launch the South African Sunbandila satellite.
According to Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, an earlier controversy over launch agreements between the two governments for rocketing both a civilian and a military satellite into space had been resolved, the newspaper says.
The launch will probably take place between 25 December and 25March.