South Africa, NASA collaborate to support human missions to Moon, Mars and beyond

South Africa has partnered with NASA to host a deep- ground station, which will support human flight missions to Moon, Mars and beyond.

With this collaboration, South Africa became fourth country after US, Spain and Australia to host a deep ground station.

partnership between South African National ncy (SANSA) and National Aeronautics and Administration (NASA) to host station followed an earlier agreement between two organisations for establishment of station at Matjiesfontein town in Western Cape Province.

" station will support human flight missions to Moon, Mars and beyond. It will be integrated into an existing network of three sites in United States of America, Spain and Australia," South African government said in a statement on Monday.

"As fourth site, it will complement or three sites and provide improved cover and redundancy for critical mission support. SANSA will operate, maintain and man station," it said.

station will benefit South Africa in, amongst ors, development of scarce skills and growth of science, engineering, techlogy and invation sector. It will also provide opportunities to feed kwledge ecomy and increase national research output in science and techlogy.

SANSA Managing Director Raoul Hodges said South Africa's advant was its location at sourn tip of Africa, with climate at Matjiesfontein being ideal for frequency that will be involved in studies.

Work is expected to start soon on building dish antennas, with a height equivalent to a 20-storey building.

" dishes need to be large eugh to capture faint signals sent from millions or even billions of miles away (from earth)," NASA said in a statement.

partnership between SANSA and NASA comes almost half a century after a tracking station was built by NASA at Hartbeestfontein in South Africa in 1961 to track NASA probes that were being sent beyond earth's orbit.

facility was converted to a radio astromy observatory after original venture ended in 1974 when NASA quit South Africa because of growing international opposition to white-mirity aparid government.

(Picture credit: AP/ For representational purpose)