ZASPACE continues to work towards stimulating growth in the space and geospatial sectors

SANSA’s Space Infrastructure Hub (SIH) has secured R4.47 billion in funding as part of the South African government’s plan to boost economic growth through infrastructure development. The SIH is recognised as a strategic infrastructure project and noted as SIP-22.

The SIH is a vehicle for SANSA to use the new funding to develop satellites for Earth observation and various space missions, build a new ground station, develop an expanded data segment and build a new data visualisation centre, activate the satellite based augmentation system over southern Africa, and develop human capital.

To achieve the above, SANSA is relying on its industry body partner, ZASPACE, to engage with and mobilise the local space industry regarding SIH projects and collaborations.

This document records the outcomes of our industry engagement – we’ve compiled the views of people in the industry as to how the SIH can address these seven pressing issues within the South African space sector:

  1. Local beneficiation
  2. Building export-ready sectors
  3. Supporting SMMEs and new entrants
  4. Industry transformation
  5. Private sector funding
  6. Public-private IP partnerships
  7. The pan-african space agenda