Sansa works out plans and priorities, but seeks budget increase

The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) Space Operations and Earth Observation MD Raoul Hodges says that the country needs a long-term approach to space if it wants to succeed in this high-technology sector.

"Space does not have a year-to-year financing horizon at the moment," he tells Engineering News. "Typically," Hodges adds, "a satellite takes four or five years from conception to launch, and then it's in space for ten years. So planning has to be long-term. Your funding has to be long-term and, importantly, [it must be] fixed according to a plan and a schedule."

Hodges says that South Africa must be realistic, because a competitive space agency requires government funding. "With a small budget," he says, "we will continue to lag for a long time. We need a serious increase [in budget, in order] to bridge the current gap." According to Engineering News, Sansa's process of determining its plans and priorities is now being addresses by the National Space Programme (NSP). "The NSP will ensure the future for Sansa for the next 20 years," Hodges says. "It will give government a fixed plan that maps a road forward. Sansa's needs are identified in the NSP," he says, adding that the programme will also give a good indication of what the cost will be.

Read the full article on www.engineeringnews.co.za.