Developing countries can participate in space and benefit from space at the same time. That's the view of one of South Africa's Space Pioneers - Sias Mostert, IPC co-chair and member of the local IAC Organising Committee. He is MD of Space Commercial Services Holdings, and was the team leader for SunSat, the first satellite in South Africa, the first in Africa. SunSat, largely conceived by graduate students and faculty of Stellenbosch University, was designed, developed in the early '90's and eventually launched- "And there was the satellite in space with photographs to prove it!" says Sias, almost as if he had to convince himself of the reality.

"But it was a lot of personal fun, and got us started in the space industry."

Despite graduating over 80 MSc's with space engineering backgrounds, by 2000 there was no industry to employ them. The only way to absorb them in a collective to build more satellites was to create a dedicated company, and so Sunspace Information Systems came into being in 2000. That was the core team, and now eleven years later there is a cadre of engineers and information systems specialists that has over 20 years' experience. That ensures SA's capability in the space industry. But it's one thing to have the capability and the core personell - quite another to ensure sustainable funding! To offer a young professional a career in space, you need about 20 years of funding. Now the establishment of the National Space Agency represents a huge commitment from government. And there are support groups and a wide network of space-aware organisations.

There are obvious social-economic benefits in a home-grown space programme, but it's perhaps in the field of inspiration that space works its aura best. Raising the tip of the pyramid in science and technology achievement means there is literally more space for people to get in and increase the supply of technology skills in general.

"Space gives you a chance to dare to dream, it gives you expanded horizons,, satisfies curiosity about the way the world - the universe - works. That's the kind of spirit that we need to spark in scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs - we need that culture to be pervasive in society. That's the catalyst that space can be!"

Countering the 'utilitarian argument' - that a developing country should be concentrating technological resources on infrastructure, dams, bridges, transport - Sias remarks: "It's not an either/or argument. You need both sectors of course. For hospitals and dams to work requires for instance an understanding of environmental impacts, and that goes to Earth Observation. Once again space invites the 'dare to dream' attitude of discovery, innovation and exploration."