AEROSPACE
Watch this Space
South Africa’s bid for universal stardom
Humans have been fascinated by space for thousands of years. From the first astrological charts created by the Babylonians in the second millennium BC to the discovery of Mars in the 1600s and launch of the Sputnik mission in 1957, the universe has forever been a source of intrigue.
Is there life to be found beyond Earth? How long will the sun support our existence? What other planetary formations and galaxies exist beyond the solar system and Milky Way?
While these are the sorts of questions that have fuelled rigorous debate throughout human history, much attention nowadays is paid to the astronomical commercial opportunity to be reaped from outer space.
Today it represents one of the most lucrative industries globally. Valued at $360 billion in 2018, the space sector is projected to grow at an annual average of 5.6 percent and reach $558 billion by 2026, driven in no small part by the massive demand for nanosatellites and re-usable launch vehicle systems from the likes of China, the USA, Russia and the European Union.
In Africa, the space industry is somewhat smaller but one that is developing fast given its comparatively lower spend.
This spend is not insignificant, however. According to Space in Africa, around $3 billion has been spent on space projects across the continent since the launch of NILESAT 101 by Egypt in 1998, defying the view that Africa is home to little or no space activities.
South Africa has emerged as something of a regional flagbearer. While the exact size of the country’s space industry is unclear, the national aerospace sector as a whole is worth $1.8 billion, and many commentators believe it is a sector primed for growth.
“South Africa has one of the oldest
space agencies in the world and has always been an active role player in the global space sector,” comments Davis Cook, CEO of the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), an innovation consultancy that works closely with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA).
“Although still relatively small, the SA space sector is well positioned for significant growth in future. The availability of highly skilled engineers, data scientists and other innovators with a good understanding of African, emerging market challenges, means that we have a higher probability of solving real local issues.”
A universal influencer
The explosive growth of space monetisation can be largely attributed to the enormous variety of use cases being explored and developed.
Be it telecommunications, GPS, mapping or data access, there is barely an aspect of the modern world that is not in some way impacted by extraterrestrial technologies.
SANSA’s ambition is for South Africa to become a recognised player globally over the course of the next decade. Mandated in 2008 by the country’s government, it is recognised as the primary, but not sole implementer of South Africa’s National Space Programme to direct the government’s investment in space science and technology.
Cook describes some of the collaborative work which is helping to realise this mandate. “Through SANSA’s Earth Observation (EO) challenges we help to identify novel uses for space technology,” he explains.
“Over the last few years, we have helped organisations solve problems as diverse as human rights, logistics, land ownership, communicable diseases, banking and insurance, agriculture, and even video games.
All of this is achieved through a combination of data acquisition, data analytics, and the development of platform-based data delivery systems for EO data.
“The role that space sciences, and earth observation in particular, can play in solving social, environmental and economic problems is unmatched. It is therefore critical that we as a group build a collaborative, open space technology ecosystem across South Africa and Africa.”