Space programs have been established for so long by various nations dating back to the World War 1 era. State and private space programs are established for various levels with the major agenda of tapping out the outer space potential for military, civil and commercial purposes. This essay discusses three identified state programs in relation to the world's space power. AS time goes by, there are innovations in technology and findings in the space industry giving rise to new nations with advanced space power. Different states and nations in the world have allocated financial resources, technology, time and expert skills in the space sector. Global treaties and organizations have been put in place to regulate the operation of space programs and agencies all over the world. The global regulatory bodies should have clearly defined standards to be used to regulate space research and exploration for the purpose of improving humanity and not mischievous purposes.
The South African National Space Agency commonly referred to as SANSA is a government agency for the South Africa government established on December 9th, 2010 by an act known as the National Space Agency Act. The main purpose of the agency is to promote and develop the aerospace and aeronautics sector in South Africa. SANSA is an independent government that does not work under any agency in the country (Van der Merwe, 2016).The agency is funded by the state to conduct research on airspace related missions. The agency establishes learning institutions where students and professionals can gain more skills concerning space exploration. The operations of the agency are related to military although it is used for both civil and commercial purposes. The agency conducts conduct coordination of all space-related activities in South Africa. The agency aims to create a conducive environment for industrial space technology development as well as use the outer space for peaceful missions. The agency supports related activities such as remote sensing where it collects data through satellites to access fires, floods and other environmental phenomena in Africa and the African Continent at large. South Africa is a member of COPUOS since the year 1994. South Africa is considered to be among the emerging space powers due to the technological advancement it is making.
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The United Arab Emirates Space Agency is a government program established in 2014 by the United Arab Emirates government following a decree from the president. The president wanted UAE to be among the states with the best space infrastructure. The state allocates public funds to the agency each financial year to ensure that the agency runs smoothly. The main purpose of the agency was to develop the space industry of the country. The agency has the role of developing and space sector that will promote economic development and all the mandate of promoting space science research and innovations. Attracting and promoting young Emiratis to venture into space science and related technology is one of the objectives of the agency. Also, the agency has to build and improve cooperation of UAE state with other states and venture into partnerships that will provide high-quality service delivery in the space sector.
The agency is a stand-alone agency although it formed a partnership with the National Centre of Space Studies of France and the UK Space Agency in the year 2015. The agency is independent in terms or running its operations within the set regulations however it is subjected to financial audit and scrutiny like any other state agency. The partnership was done mainly to improve efficiency in space research by sharing new technologies, information and even skilled workforce. The agency is purely used for civil and commercial development of the space science and is not connected to the military (Taylor, 2016).The agency mainly deals with research projects that aim at improving peoples' lives or activities that enhance the economic wellbeing of the citizens. The agency fosters and regulates the space industry to provide a world-class and sustainable space sector in UAE. The agency supports space activities such as research and explorations in space science. The agency provides funds, equipment, and skilled workforce required for space research and explorations. UAE joined COPUOS in 2015 and became among the latest members of COPUOS.
Israel Space Agency is a government program founded in I983 by Professor Yuval Ne'eman who was a theoretical physicist. The agency replaced the National Committee for Space Research which had the role of setting up required infrastructure for space missions. The nation taught that the nation should give maximum attention to the space sector and one way to do that was establishing a new agency with new and clearly defined objectives. The main purpose of the agency is coordination of all space research programs in Israel. The other objectives were building and supporting of satellite systems for research and developing new technologies, scientific infrastructure, and knowledge necessary for space research. The agency was also mandated to promote and support international space research missions as well as promoting relations between Israel society and space exploration.
The agency is not a stand-alone body, and it works under the ministry of science and technology in Israel (Taylor, 2016). The ministry of science and technology approves and goes through all the research missions undertaken by the agency. The ministry of science and technology serves as the link between the agency and the executive department of the government. The program is not connected to the military since its main purpose is to coordinate space research for scientific and commercial goals only. The program supports a lot of space-related activities such as space research, explorations and data acquisition from space satellites. Israel is a member of COPUOS and joined the committee in 2015.
In conclusion, there so many nations out there trying very hard to tap out the potential of the outer space for civil, commercial and military advancement. The space sector seems to give an avenue for understanding the space and also gives a chance for researchers to learn more about earth from space. Space exploration is a very expensive mission due to the highly sophisticated equipment required and therefore states usually allocate large chunks of funds to the space agencies. The information from space research programs and technology should be safeguarded so that it does not land on people with bad motives. Proper regulations should be put in place to ensure the space industry is a safe sector. There are several treaties and global organizations such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS) that regulate the space research and exploration in the world.
References
Taylor. (2016). Global Governance and Transnationalizing Capital Hegemony: The Myth of the 'Emerging Powers'. London: Taylor & Francis.
Van der Merwe, T. a. (2016). Emerging Powers in Africa: A New Wave in the Relationship? New York: Springer.
