SA sees brighter future in the stars
April 12, 2009
By Wiseman Khuzwayo
New co-ordinated approach to space
Trade minister says jobs will flow
Law pave way for local version of Nasa
Space science and technology for sustainable development is progressing in leaps and bounds in South Africa, which now has a policy on space and a national strategy on space science and technology.
The space policy will be administered by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and the strategy by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
According to the National Working Group on Space Science and Technology, space science has many uses in various areas:
Earth observation satellites provide a global view of the dynamic processes on land, in the oceans and in the atmosphere of our planet. The collection of satellite imagery compiled over many years is a national resource that allows environmental changes to be detected and monitored.
Satellites can be used to map and monitor particular environments to estimate the ranges of species that depend on them. Many endangered species are closely associated with particular habitats. Space technology is also used to study the movements of animals in the wild.
Farmers rely on forecasts derived from weather monitoring satellites for their normal farming operations. Rainfall and evaporation measurements from satellites allow farmers to regulate crop irrigation.
Earth observation satellites are used to detect and map areas where illicit drugs are cultivated, helping to fight the trafficking of drugs at the source.
Satellites can be used to manage precious water resources by mapping surface water distribution and measuring water quality and ground water content. Waterborne diseases, such as cholera and malaria, may also be studied from space.
The daily weather forecasts that so many of us take for granted are derived from satellites.
Satellites can provide warning of disasters and assist in their management or emergency situations arising from floods, fires, oil spills, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides.
The space policy will seek to improve co-ordination throughout the South African space arena to maximise the benefits of current and planned space activities; avoid or minimise duplication of resources and efforts; as well as organise existing initiatives, programmes and institutions into a coherent network for all providers and users of space systems.
It will promote capacity-building initiatives, both as a means to participate effectively in the space arena and to develop capacity in space science and technology, and science and technology in general.
Another aim is to promote the development of an appropriate and competitive domestic commercial space sector to provide the industrial base to meet the nation's needs for space technology.
The policy also provides guidance on the development of space capabilities and space system applications to contribute to economic growth and reduce poverty.
In addition, it aims to promote enhanced space awareness at all levels of society, as a means to build public understanding of the socio-economic benefits of space science and technology.
Nomfuneko Majaja, the chief director of the advanced manufacturing unit at the dti, said: "The policy will enhance South Africa's participation in the global space arena and provide guidance to all domestic stakeholders in the public and private sectors actively involved in the industry. It is therefore the dti's responsibility, as custodian of the policy, to ensure that it is implemented with a co-ordinated approach."
Trade and industry minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said at the launch of the space policy last month that the South African space programme would open new avenues to fight poverty and unemployment.
He said the 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."
Mpahlwa said space technology would allow developing countries to "leapfrog" certain stages in their progress. For example, communication satellites could connect 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 enable South Africa to achieve a wide-ranging, innovative economic basket of goods and services.
However, in the space initiative, government and private-sector involvement needed to be co-ordinated and regulated.
Mpahlwa said South Africa had been involved in space-related activities for five decades and it was the policy document that would give its efforts credibility.
"While South Africa's space activities are small, their potential economic and strategic importance are 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 and satellite television, he added.
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 the cabinet in December and would guide the activities of the planned space agency.
President Kgalema Motlanthe has already signed the South African National Space Agency Bill into law. It could see the country setting up its own space agency later this year to pull together all space-related activities under one umbrella.
According to the DST, the enactment of the law is seen as a step in the right direction, given the country's rich heritage of involvement in modern astronomy, which dates back to 1685. In 1820 a permanent observatory was established outside Cape Town.
The draft paper on the national space strategy says astronomy has been practised since then, culminating in the construction of the Southern African Large Telescope (Salt) in Sutherland in the Northern Cape.
The DST says the country has been an active participant in the exploration of space since the dawn of the space age.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, satellites were tracked to determine the effects of the upper atmosphere on their orbits.
Lunar and interplanetary missions were supported from a tracking station at Hartebeesthoek in Pretoria. This station received images of Mars taken by the Mariner IV spacecraft - the first images of Mars and of another planet to be received on Earth.
In the late 1980s South Africa started a military programme to develop a launcher and a reconnaissance satellite. This was discontinued in 1994.
In 1999, the first South African satellite, Sunsat, was launched into space as a Nasa-sponsored secondary payload on the rocket that delivered the much larger Argos satellite into orbit. The 64kg Sunsat satellite was built by staff and students at the University of Stellenbosch.
The team that built SunSat have built a second, more capable, satellite named SumbandilaSat.
The space agency would oversee development of space missions, develop technology platforms, and acquire, assimilate and disseminate space satellite data for any organ of the state.
Val Munsami, the chief director on space issues at the DST, said the agency, which would have its own board, would implement the national space strategy that was approved by the cabinet in December, to stimulate the capability to place South Africa among the leading nations in the innovative use of space science and technology.
Some of the projects on the cards include co-ordinating the Square Kilometre Array bid, developments at Salt and the launch of SumbandilaSat.
SumbandilaSat is expected to be launched in Russia by June after having been postponed several times. - Additional reporting by Sapa
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