Scooping the majority of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope deal was one of the biggest coups in the history of South African science.
Lauded as one of the main drivers in South Africa's SKA success, former science and technology minister Naledi Pandor oversaw the completion of the ministerial review of the science, technology and innovation landscape, which began in 2010.
Pandor's successor Derek Hanekom oversees the completion of the DST's National Space Programme, set to map South Africa's space activities for the next 30 years.
The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) says it is already implementing some of the projects the programme details, such as a R450m satellite, the country's contribution to the African Resource Management Constellation (ARMC).
The ZA-ARMC1 satellite will monitor southern Africa's water, agriculture, climate and human settlement patterns, among other things, BDLive reports.
However, 2012 also saw the demise of SunSpace, the South African micro-satellite manufacturer. In October it was decided that SunSpace would be absorbed into the new national space agency.
Got to http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/science/2012/12/25/ska-headlines-a-bumper-year-for-department-of-science-and-technology for more info
