Russia key space-partner for South Africa – official

Most of the support for advancing Pretoria’s ambitions has come from Moscow, the head of its program has stated

Russia is South Africa’s principal partner in the advancement of its national space program, Patrick Ndlovu, chairman of the board at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), has told Sputnik Africa.

During celebrations for Cosmonautics Day on Saturday, Ndlovu, who also serves as CEO of Infinity Integrated Solutions, said that Pretoria “has received most of its support from the Russian Federation.” He expressed confidence that through this partnership, the country’s space sector would continue “naturally growing.”

“I must say that Russia has been the most willing to partner with South Africa on various mutually beneficial grounds to actually advance our space and mission as a nation,” the SANSA chairman said.

In addition to its collaboration with Russia, Ndlovu explained that South Africa is making significant contributions to global space exploration by utilizing its strategic geographic location to host advanced equipment for international space agencies and commercial satellite operators.

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As an example, he mentioned the deployment of a space debris-tracking telescope operated by Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency.

South Africa has also preserved the legacy of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin by maintaining a bust of him at one of its space facilities. According to a SANSA representative, this is intended to inspire younger generations of South Africans and to honor a pioneering figure in space history.

In June, Alexander Lutovinov, a correspondent member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation with South Africa in space communications. Speaking at the RAS Presidium, he highlighted the importance of expanding “cooperation in the field of astronomy and space research,” TASS reported.

Earlier in May, Humbulani Mudau, the CEO of SANSA, announced South Africa’s support for Russia’s proposal to establish a BRICS Space Council to strengthen space cooperation among member states.

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“We see the Russian proposal to create a BRICS space council. We will develop our cooperation in this direction; South Africa supports this initiative,” Mudau stated.