The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) took advantage of last week’s International Astronautical Congress (held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates) to formalise their partnership. They did so by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

“Global partnerships are necessary for the sustainability and success of space programmes and SANSA appreciates and commits to explore opportunities to contribute towards this mutually beneficial collaboration with our colleagues in the UK,” affirmed Sansa CEO Dr Val Munsami. The two agencies already have experience in cooperating with each other in space projects, and the MoU allows them to build on this experience and strengthen their partnership, for the benefit of all those involved in their space value chains.

“This partnership will increase the sharing of knowledge, talent, research and innovation between the UK and South Africa, with all the scientific and commercial opportunities this brings,” highlighted UKSA CE Dr Paul Bate. “As set out in the UK’s National Space Strategy, we are committed to strengthening our international relationships and building the UK’s reputation as a partner of choice in space activities.”

The MoU creates the framework for cooperation in a wide range of space activities. These include (but are not restricted to) promoting space science and technology research partnerships (with a particular focus on space weather), developing links between and supporting local space businesses, and supporting the development of national space infrastructure. 

Other key areas for cooperation include the sharing of Earth observation satellites and data. And, related to this, cooperation in space applications concerned with dealing with climate change. “Space is an effective tool in the fight against climate change and, as we approach [the] COP26 [climate conference], we must work across borders to reach our shared goal of achieving net zero by 2050,” pointed out Bate.

“The development of an MoU began a few years ago with a visit to the UK by a Sansa/industry delegation to identify partnership opportunities,” reported UK High Commissioner to South Africa Anthony Phillipson.”All of us at the British High Commission in South Africa are delighted to see this result and look forward to collaborating with our South African partners on a range of mutually beneficial scientific and commercial programmes.”