South African National Space Agency (SANSA)

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) came into being in December 2010 to promote the use of space, strengthen cooperation in space activities, foster space science research, develop human capital and support the space technology industry. SANSA falls under the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Registered name

South African National Space Agency (SANSA)

Type

National public entity (space science and technology)

Fields funded

Postgraduate STEM fields relevant to the space sector

Website

sansa.org.za

Email

grants@sansa.org.za

Decades of space work before SANSA

South Africa’s involvement in space began long before SANSA, through support for early international space missions and observations of the Earth’s magnetic field across Southern Africa. SANSA’s head office in Pretoria oversees four programmes: Earth Observation, Space Operations (formerly the Satellite Applications Centre at Hartebeesthoek), Space Science (formerly the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory) and a newer Space Engineering programme.

What SANSA does

Much of SANSA’s work monitors the Earth for policy and decision-making, disaster management, food security and national security. SANSA also monitors space weather, which can disrupt satellites, communications and power grids, and provides launch support and satellite data downloads.

A ground station of choice

SANSA Space Operations traces its tracking, telemetry and command work back to the early 1960s alongside NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Hartebeesthoek site lies in the Magaliesberg at 1 553 metres above sea level, about 60 kilometres west of Pretoria, and its clear horizon suits tracking low-orbit satellites. SANSA says the site has no recorded seismic activity and serves space agencies worldwide.

SANSA plans a deep space network ground complex at Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape, which it says will support missions to the Moon and beyond.

The postgraduate bursary

SANSA’s bursary is one of the better-paying postgraduate awards in South Africa: R150 000 a year for honours, R160 000 for master’s and R170 000 for doctoral study. SANSA funds STEM fields relevant to space, including physics, space science, applied mathematics, remote sensing, GIS, environmental science and computer, mechanical and electrical engineering, and expects bursars to pursue space sector careers.

Applicants must be South African citizens aged 32 or younger with at least a 65% average and financial need. Applications for 2027 close on 30 September 2026, and incomplete applications are disqualified.

How to research SANSA

Read about SANSA’s space weather centre in Hermanus and discuss your draft research proposal with a supervisor early.

See the iThemba LABS bursary for another science facility.