South Africa strengthens its space strategy by signing an agreement with the BRICS

A view of the sky during the takeoff of a SpaceX shuttle in October 2018. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP / File

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The BRICS countries decided this week to join forces a little more in the space sector.

They signed an agreement to share data from their Earth observation satellites.

Very useful data in different sectors, such as the management of natural disasters, water resources, or even agriculture.

Good news for South Africa, which is seeking to strengthen its space strategy.

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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,

Claire Bargeles

South Africa currently has no earth observation satellite in orbit.

But it has a ground station, which will allow data to be received and shared.

“ 

We have all decided to pool our resources in order to create a virtual constellation of satellites. We will all be able to access other people's satellite data 

, ”explains Valanathan Munsani, director of the South African Space Agency (SANSA).

Valuable images and data for many fields, for example for the agricultural sector, or for studies on climate change, according to Frank Eckardt, researcher at the space laboratory of the University of Cape Town. “ 

We can analyze the response of vegetation to rains, the places where fires start, the location of crops, the use of water reservoirs,” he

explains. 

Satellite data is an archive of all these changes. 

»Data that is even useful in the world of banking or insurance.

For Valanathan Munsani, this partnership with the BRICS is intended to be broadened, so that these countries can go even further in space cooperation.

“ 

This allows us to take the next step, all together,” he

enthuses

.

If we look at the projects of China, Russia or India, these countries are working on missions to the Moon, or to Mars.

This can provide us with opportunities to speed up our space activities.

 "

South Africa also ultimately has the ambition to share this satellite data with the rest of the continent.

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• South Africa

• Space