The Space Industry Virtual Summit hosted by ZASPACE, SANSA, the Embassy of Brazil in Pretoria, and the Brazilian Aerospace Cluster will take place on the 26th and 27th of May 2021. The virtual event aims to bring the space industries of Brazil and South Africa together to foster business partnerships and cooperation between the two countries.

In late 2020, the Brazilian Space Agency and the South African National Space Agency started a new era of collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, which brings great opportunities for both countries. The two-day event marks the start of this new period. Uniting the private sector through cooperation and co-creation will bring confidence to both countries’ space industries, encouraging business partnerships and boosting the growth of the respective space economies.

The first day will set the tone for the summit, introducing key stakeholders, exploring business in both Brazil and South Africa, and demystifying space for business across the Atlantic.

The second day will consist of a variety of B2B networking tables and sessions to further explore and drive collaboration for the entire value chain of South African and Brazilian space businesses.

Attendees will partake in discussions on country realities, on the potential of space technology for business, on the space industry supply chain, and on various applications of space technology for life on Earth including for agriculture, forestry, mobility, security and more.

The virtual event include keynote addresses by Valanathan Munsami, CEO of the South African Space Association (SANSA), and Carlos Moura, President of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), and specialists speakers like Mike Sage, CEO Structured Finance Solutions at FNB South Africa, and Antônio Yukio Ueta, Organizing Committee Member of the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

The Space Industry Virtual Summit is the exciting first step towards a long and prosperous relationship between Brazilian and South African space industries and it will provide a platform for sharing information, for networking and relationship building, for connecting with experts, and for collaboration and growth. Attendees can look forward to all of these over the two-day event and long into the future.