The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and UNOOSA signed a cooperation agreement to establish an UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office in June 2024. SANSA is established to promote the use of space and strengthen cooperation in space-related activities while fostering research in space science, advancing scientific engineering through developing human capital development, and supporting industrial development in space technologies. As an RSO, SANSA continues to provide experts for UN-SPIDER's technical advisory support to countries within the SADC region and to contribute to capacity building efforts in the region.
SANSA provide remote sensing trainings, covering from the basics of remote sensing to specialised theme specific trainings on the applications of remote sensing. These trainings are provided physically or online depending on the needs of training participants.
The South African Geo-information and space industry has expertise on various themes inclusive of remote sensing, cartography, data analytics/science, and satellite development.
SANSA conducts research, develops and provide geo-spatial information and knowledge related to Agriculture, water resources, Disaster management, human settlements etc. It supports the policy and planning processes of the country. SANSA also provides satellite imagery to governments.
SANSA is an entity of Department of Science and Innovation, created to promote the use of space and strengthen cooperation in space-related activities while fostering research in space science, advancing scientific engineering through developing human capital, and supporting industrial development in space technologies. The research and work carried out at SANSA focuses on Earth observation, space science, space engineering and space operations. Much of this work involves monitoring the Earth for policy and decision making, resource and disaster management, food security and national security. SANSA also provides state-of-the-art facilities to monitor space weather, provide launch support and data downloads as well as supporting the growth of the local space industry.