SANSA awarded funding for new Space Hub

Amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic and a financial recession, the South African government has secured funding for a number of strategic infrastructure projects as part of its effective economic recovery plan.

Digital infrastructure investment has ranked as a high priority due to our ever-increasing dependency on technological systems, which rely on space infrastructure such as satellites and ground stations. Daily weather forecasts, instantaneous worldwide communications, navigation systems, and a constant ability to record high-resolution images are all examples of space infrastructure that are extensively utilised. Even basic commodities, such as food and energy resources, are facilitated through the use of space-based technology.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille have mobilised public and private sector funding to prioritise infrastructure development to support economic growth and job creation through the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium (SIDS). The South African National Space Agency (SANSA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), has been awarded a significant R4.47 billion in additional funding over the next three years, to develop a Space Infrastructure Hub as part of the SIDS initiative.

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