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The South African space programme will open up new avenues to fight poverty and unemployment, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said in Pretoria on Friday.
Launching the national space policy – which will inform the country’s space activities – Mpahlwa said government, the public and the private sector all had to play a role in making the programme a success.
Global co-operation was also imperative.
“We are continuing on a journey to better the lives of our people, by greater utilisation and greater exploration of space capabilities and possibilities,” he said. “To the rockets and satellites,” he said.
Mpahlwa said space technology would allow developing countries to “leapfrog” certain stages.
For example communication satellites could foster open lines between any two points without the need for ground-based infrastructure.
“This property of space systems also provides important societal benefits in areas such as disaster management where ground-based communications infrastructure is often unusable,” he said.
Hi-tech sectors would also enable South Africa to achieve a wide ranging innovative economic basket of goods and services.
However, in the space initiative government and public and private involvement needed to be co-ordinated and thereby regulated.
While the policy could be loosely described as being authored by the Department of Trade and Industry it would be applied within the framework of the Department of Science and Technology’s strategy.
Mpahlwa said South Africa had been embarking on space-related activities for five decades and it was the policy document would give its efforts credibility.
“While the South Africa’s space activities are small, its potential economic and strategic importance is as boundless as space itself,” he said.
Some of the benefits of space were already enjoyed by many South Africans without them realising it. These included cellphones, satellite televisions and phones, he said.
Other spin-off benefits were advanced applications to the health and medical sectors, industrial production, public safety and security.
Jobs and an improved economy would go hand-in-hand with space exploration, Mpahlwa said.
The policy was approved by Cabinet in December last year and would guide the activities of the space agency.
The agency would oversee development of space missions, develop technology platforms, and acquire, assimilate and disseminate space satellite data for any organ of state.
Some of the projects on the cards include co-ordinating the Square Kilometre Array bid, the Southern African Large Telescope, and the launch of South Africa’s second indigenous satellite Sumbandilasat. Sumbandilasat is expected to be launched in Russia between March and June this year, said Mpahlwa.
Launching the national space policy – which will inform the country’s space activities – Mpahlwa said government, the public and the private sector all had to play a role in making the programme a success.
Global co-operation was also imperative.
“We are continuing on a journey to better the lives of our people, by greater utilisation and greater exploration of space capabilities and possibilities,” he said. “To the rockets and satellites,” he said.
Mpahlwa said space technology would allow developing countries to “leapfrog” certain stages.
For example communication satellites could foster open lines between any two points without the need for ground-based infrastructure.
“This property of space systems also provides important societal benefits in areas such as disaster management where ground-based communications infrastructure is often unusable,” he said.
Hi-tech sectors would also enable South Africa to achieve a wide ranging innovative economic basket of goods and services.
However, in the space initiative government and public and private involvement needed to be co-ordinated and thereby regulated.
While the policy could be loosely described as being authored by the Department of Trade and Industry it would be applied within the framework of the Department of Science and Technology’s strategy.
Mpahlwa said South Africa had been embarking on space-related activities for five decades and it was the policy document would give its efforts credibility.
“While the South Africa’s space activities are small, its potential economic and strategic importance is as boundless as space itself,” he said.
Some of the benefits of space were already enjoyed by many South Africans without them realising it. These included cellphones, satellite televisions and phones, he said.
Other spin-off benefits were advanced applications to the health and medical sectors, industrial production, public safety and security.
Jobs and an improved economy would go hand-in-hand with space exploration, Mpahlwa said.
The policy was approved by Cabinet in December last year and would guide the activities of the space agency.
The agency would oversee development of space missions, develop technology platforms, and acquire, assimilate and disseminate space satellite data for any organ of state.
Some of the projects on the cards include co-ordinating the Square Kilometre Array bid, the Southern African Large Telescope, and the launch of South Africa’s second indigenous satellite Sumbandilasat. Sumbandilasat is expected to be launched in Russia between March and June this year, said Mpahlwa.
