The University of Cape Town (UCT) is planning to introduce postgraduate courses in space studies next year. These courses will be at Masters (MPhil) and will be multidisciplinary in nature, but there will be the possibility of upgrading to a PhD.

“This new initiative is aimed at young postgraduate engineers seeking a broad introduction into the space arena, as well as working professionals in government, industry and the military, who have come into contact with space science and technology in their work and would like to gain a systematic foundation in space issues to under- stand and perform their work functions better,” explains South African Council for Space Affairs chairperson Dr Peter Martinez.

The creation of the new (in South Africa) discipline has been driven by the ubiquitous influence of space activities on modern society. Satellite communications involve everything from commercial TV through tele-medicine, tele-education, to government, corporate and private communications (including financial transactions), and cover data, voice and pictures.

Different types of earth observation satellites provide essential data on weather, land use, environmental conditions, urban development and sprawl, watersheds and drainage networks, agricultural conditions and production, fires, floods, droughts, deforestation, desertification and so on. This data can be and is used to improve food and water security, assist in disaster response, aid environmental resource management, plan urban development and redevelopment and monitor changes in the climate and other environmental factors.

Space technology is no longer an optional extra – it has become part of humanity’s critical infrastructure. Sustainable develop- ment would be much more difficult to achieve without it, and African countries are increasingly aware of this. “The African space arena is evolving rapidly, with a number of countries having recently established space agencies, or considering doing so in the near future,” he highlights. “There is an urgent need to develop human capital in this domain on the continent.”

The academic and research components of the programme will be formulated in accordance with Africa’s sustainable development needs, as identified by the African Space Policy of the African Union (now being developed), the United Nations space applications programme and the South African National Space Agency.

The UCT space studies MPhil will be a two-year course, divided into course work and dissertation phases. It is during the dissertation phase that a student might be permitted to upgrade to a PhD, in which case the course will last three years. The course phase will include compulsory core courses and elective courses. These courses will be taught by leading South African and international space experts.

Of the core courses, 33% will be devoted to the application of space technology (including practical experience), 33% will cover the financial, policy, regulatory and security aspects of public and private space activities and of national and regional space programmes (including developing space awareness and outreach) and 33% will be directed at the definition, design, development and analysis of space systems. “The thesis component is meant to allow the participant to develop in-depth knowledge in a particular area of specialisation,” reports Martinez. “Thesis topics will be chosen in alignment with identified research needs in the national and continental space programmes. A multidisciplinary approach to the consideration of each particular research topic will be encouraged.”

The new space studies programme is aimed at postgraduate students from across the continent, not just South Africa, and is open to candidates with a first degree in any branch of engineering, science, mathematics, law or commerce. They will not need any previous knowledge or experience of the space sector. To assist students who cannot stay in Cape Town for the full length of the course, it will be organised into intensive one- or two-week teaching blocks, each preceded by set readings and followed by assignments, complemented by distance learning activities. The students will have to be in Cape Town for the intensive teaching blocks.