The BRICS countries decided this week to merge a little more in the space sector. They signed an agreement to share data from their Earth observation satellites. Very useful data in various sectors, such as management of natural disasters, water resources or even agriculture. Good news for South Africa, which is trying to strengthen its space strategy.
as reported from Johannesburg, Claire Bargeles
South Africa currently has no Earth observation satellite in orbit. But it has a ground station that allows data to be received and shared.
“We have all decided to pool our resources to create a virtual constellation of satellites. We will all be able to access other people’s satellite data “, explains Valanathan Munsani, head of the South African Space Agency (SANSA).
Valuable images and data for many areas, for example for the agricultural sector or for studies of climate change, according to Frank Eckardt, researcher at the space laboratory at the University of Cape Town. Vegetation to rain, places where fires start, the place 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 banking or insurance world.
For Valanathan Munsani, this partnership with 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, together,” he says. If we look at projects in China, Russia or India, these countries are working on missions to the moon or to Mars. This can give us opportunities to accelerate our space activities. ”
South Africa also has the ambition to eventually share this satellite data with the rest of the continent.
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