....a comprehensive 10 to 20 year National Space Program, a first for South Africa. This will define South Africa’s ambitious roadmap in space science and technology to the year 2030. The process, which began early last November, has risen from the National Space Strategy (NSS) and the Ten Year Innovation Plan for South Africa as drawn up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Space science has globally taken unprecedented importance and is fast becoming an integral part of addressing a wide range of societal needs. These include resource and environmental management; disaster management; food security; global change monitoring; health, safety and security; planning, development and monitoring.
The commissioning of the National Space Programme study is based on SANSA’s recognition of the importance of South Africa investing in a space programme that will:
- Enhance South Africa’s space capabilities for societal benefit
- Provide a platform for knowledge creation and utilization
- Develop unique technologies and promote innovation
- Enhance human capacity and advance science
- Ensure a technology base and intellectual collateral for the domestic industry and market
- Elevate South Africa’s global standing in space science and technology
This consultative process is led by four expert groups focusing on Earth Observation, Space Operations, Space Science and Space Engineering. These groups, which consist of South African and some international experts, have begun setting priority areas and outlining how each group can contribute meaningfully to the formulation of the National Space Program. The expert groups are supported by dedicated broader stakeholder forums which consist of the extended space science and technology stakeholder communities including R&D practitioners, government representatives, academics, industry, and the user community. More than 160 national participants are currently active on the shared website being used for the consultative process and are contributing to the development of the future National Space Program. The number of active participants is growing daily.
Once the expert groups have identified and approved the proposed projects for the NSP, the public and other stakeholders will be engaged for their comment and contribution. This process will begin early in 2012 and interested public may register through the SANSA website. The proposed projects will have a special emphasis on national priorities such as Human Capital Development, job creation and the requirements for a knowledge-based economy where the National Space Program will be able to have a marked impact on our future.