South Africa's space programme : past and present

Abstract

This article will examine the evolution of South Africa's space programme, from its origins in the security concerns of the apartheid government to the developmental ambitions of the contemporary government. It will investigate the links between the past efforts to develop a South African role in space with the current approaches, as well as assess the changing nature of the debate over the importance of space within Africa. It focuses on the space programme's origins in the Cold War, the shift from military applications to civilian commercial concerns during the lengthy political transition, and the rationale for the contemporary revival of the space programme.