Space Politics, Policy and Strategy in South Africa

The South Africa’s space policy and strategy, and the attendant capacities and capabilities have emerged from centuries of the nation’s scientific, technological, political and socioeconomic developments, and defence, security and international engagements. This chapter examines the national and international sociocultural, economic, political, historical and military contexts, determinants and interests in space policy and strategy, the attendant capacities and capabilities of South Africa. It examines the trajectories of South Africa’s space policy and strategy from the indigenous cultural astronomy and settlers’ modernisation of space R&D in precolonial and colonial eras to the amateur rocketry, militarised apartheid nuclear, missile and space triad programme, and the post-apartheid new dawn. It is against this background that this chapter examines extant laws, policies and strategies of South Africa to determine its national interests and perspectives on space and related technologies, socioeconomic development, and security.