A proposed new South African space law would make it an offence to build a satellite without a licence from a new regulator, bringing far more of the local space industry into a licensing regime than the 1993 law it would replace.
The draft South African Space Industry Regulatory Bill, published by trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau in the Government Gazette on Friday, lists “the manufacture of a space object” and “the utilisation of space applications” among nine activities that may not be carried out without an authorisation. The others include launches, including suborbital ones, operating satellites in orbit, running launch sites and other space facilities, and “the exploration and exploitation of outer space”.
Anyone carrying out one of those activities without an authorisation would face a fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both. The bill does not set a maximum fine.
The Space Affairs Act of 1993 is much narrower. It requires licences for launches, for operating a launch facility and for South African companies taking part in space activities that carry international obligations or “may affect national interests”, plus anything else the minister prescribes. Manufacturing is not on its list. It also has a 10-year maximum jail term for unlicensed activity, but caps fines at R1-million.
There are significant low-hanging fruit opportunities … that can generate immediate economic and developmental value
Nomfuneko Majaja
The bill appeared a day after the department of trade, industry & competition published remarks by its chief director of space affairs, Nomfuneko Majaja, who is named in the gazette notice as the contact for public comment. Speaking on a panel hosted by UN Trade and Development at the World Investment Forum in Doha on 25-27 October, Majaja said developing countries need not start with the most capital-intensive parts of the space economy.
“There are significant low-hanging fruit opportunities according to their development levels that can generate immediate economic and developmental value – those in Earth observation (EO), geospatial applications, processing space-based data through artificial intelligence, data analytics and digital services,” she said.
She also pointed to component manufacturing, saying South Africa already has industrial and engineering capabilities that could be developed “to increase domestic participation in satellite and space-system value chains”.
Those are the industries the bill could reach. It defines a space object as “an object launched or intended to be launched into outer space”, but doesn’t say whether making components for one counts as manufacture. That would likely matter to companies like Somerset West’s NewSpace Systems, which opened what it says is Africa’s largest space hardware factory in March. The bill doesn’t define “space applications”, leaving open whether firms that build services on satellite data – the downstream businesses Majaja singled out – would need an authorisation.
The bill applies to South African citizens, permanent residents and companies, including activities carried out in other countries on their behalf.
Authorisation holders would also have to carry “insurance, equivalent to the value of the space object”, as well as liability insurance. The 1993 act does not mention insurance, though it lets licence conditions deal with liability.
The state would be liable for damage under the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, but operators would have to reimburse it for damage caused by objects launched from South African territory. The minister, with the finance minister’s agreement, would set the required liability cover.
A new regulator
The bill would create the South African Space Regulatory Authority (Sasra), with up to 14 members appointed by the minister. It guarantees the industry fewer seats than the current South African Council for Space Affairs (Sacsa): the 1993 act requires two industry members, while the bill requires “at least one person from the space industry”. Up to three of the authority’s expert members may work for authorisation holders.
Appeals would still go to the minister, but the minister may appoint an independent committee chaired by a retired judge to advise on them. Decisions to suspend or revoke an authorisation could be taken on review to the high court.
Day-to-day work would fall to a new National Office for Outer Space Activities (Noosa), a unit in the public service that would act as the authority’s secretariat and keep the national space registry.
The public has 60 days from Friday’s publication – or until late December – to comment. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
