While the Department of Science and Technology was drafting the national space strategy, the Department of Trade and Industry was concurrently drafting South Africa's National Space Policy. The strategy provides a strategic context for a national space programme and defines the high-level objectives for the space programme, while the policy sets out the framework and governance mechanisms which enable the strategy (Munsami, 2014).
South Africa has a variety of institutions and programmes in academia, science councils, government departments and private industry that are involved in the study, exploration and utilization of space.
However, there was a lack of coordination between these initiatives as they were managed by different administrative entities. The South African National Space Policy was developed in order to address these issues by providing a guiding framework in the form of policy principles, as mandated in Section 2 of the Space Affairs Act (Department of Trade and Industry, 2009).
The main directives within the policy are detailed in 8 objectives underpinned by a number of policy principles that aim to provide guidance during implementation of the policy to achieve its objectives. The principles include:
Chapter 5: Policy and Regulatory Aspects of Space launches
• The use of outer space for peaceful purposes and the benefit of humankind;
• Building, developing and maintaining a robust set of space capabilities, services and products to support national priorities,
• Responsible use of the space environment, in accordance with national law, international treaties and best practises,
• Promotion of research and development in South Africa,
• Improving the levels of self-sufficiency in South Africa and international competitiveness through the use of domestic space capabilities and services,
• Cooperation with other nations in mutually beneficial and peaceful uses of outer space, with a focus on benefits that can be derived for the African contentment through cooperative activities with other African countries.
The policy objectives intend to inform both public and private sector stakeholders’ participation in the space sector. The first objective is to improve coordination between these sectors and stakeholders. Prior to the introduction of the National Space Policy, South Africa had a number of smaller entities within the government and the private sector working in isolation in the utilization and development of space related products (Munsami, 2014). This purpose of this objective is to: (a) orchestrate space activities so that there is less duplication of resources and efforts between entities, (b) achieve maximum benefits out of current space activities, and (c) create a coherent network for stakeholder interaction.
The second objective is to promote capacity building. A significant proportion of the space engineers, technicians and scientists currently active in the space sector hold legacy knowledge from the Apartheid era, and with the subsequent lack of investment in the space sector, there has been limited development of human capital (Munsami, 2014). This is highlighted in the National Space Strategy’s objective to initiate technology transfer and capacity building programmes with spacefaring countries.
The third objective aims to facilitate the provision of appropriate and adequate space capabilities to support South Africa’s domestic and foreign policy objectives. As South Africa has ratified all the international treaties pertaining to space and related international agreements such as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), there is potential for facilitating the development of an indigenous space sector through knowledge and technology transfer transactions with foreign partners.
The fourth objective, to create a supportive regulatory environment, enables South Africa’s participation in the space sector. South Africa has established national legislative and regulatory bodies such as the South African Non-Proliferation Council, the National Conventional Arms Control Committee and the South African Space Council in order to regulate the industry and ensure that participation falls within international legislation and obligations.
The fifth objective is fostering research and development in South Africa. Having had a fragmented space sector affiliated with a variety of uncoordinated institutions and programmes in academia, science councils, government departments and private industry, there has been little direct investment into research and development in this sector since the Apartheid era. In developing this sector, more effort should be expensed in raising the R&D base within public sector institutions and higher education institutions (Department of Trade and Industry, 2009).
While there has been an effort to coordinate research and development within the space sector, there are still several government entities which are running separate programmes, namely SANSA and AISI, which both approach projects slightly differently. AISI follows requirements set out by SANSA, however the primary policies that it adheres to are set out by the dti. These include the Industrial Policy Action Plan, National Development Plan and the National Industry Policy Framework, as opposed to the National Space Policy, which is ancillary to these (AISI, 2016).
The sixth objective is to promote a competitive domestic sector. South Africa’s intention to transition to a knowledge-based economy necessitates the development of more indigenous high-tech sectors, of which the space sector has potential for commercialization. As with the fifth objective, this largely supports the goals set out by the dti in the Industrial Policy Action Plan that is largely being addressed through the AISI.
The seventh objective is to promote mutually beneficial co-operation with other nations in the uses of outer space. International co-operation provides opportunities for South Africa to improve on technologies and applications through strategic partnerships that are in keeping with foreign policy objectives and international obligations. In particular, international co-operation will be pursued in accordance with the strategic foreign policy objectives of strengthening the African Agenda, South-South co-operation, North-South co-operation and global governance (Department of Trade and Industry, 2009).
The eighth and final objective is to promote awareness of the societal benefits of space activities. Given that the national space programme has transitioned from a military to a civilian focus, it is imperative that the general public have some appreciation of the benefits of space activities (Munsami, 2014). Achieving public approval for a national space programme can be leveraged by the socio-economic and public outreach benefits such a programme would bring. Awareness of this sector also has the potential to encourage learners to pursue and complete their education, which aligns with the objective to improve human capital.
Chapter 5: Policy and Regulatory Aspects of Space launches