Case Study
South African National Space Agency (SANSA)
OVERVIEW
Period: 2025-Present (Contract)
Region: South Africa
Sector: Space
After a competitive tendering process, Plane Talking was awarded a two-year contract to support the South African National Space Agency’s (SANSA) public outreach and reputation-building efforts. While established 15 years prior, the organisation had limited mainstream visibility. The technical nature of its work meant that its role in the South African space industry was often not well understood by the public or by key stakeholders. Plane Talking worked alongside SANSA’s in-house communications team to improve public understanding of space science and to position SANSA as a leading national space agency. The focus was on increasing awareness, strengthening credibility and supporting engagement with both public and industry audiences.
Services Provided
Communications Strategy – Developed and implemented marketing, outreach and stakeholder engagement campaigns aligned to SANSA’s mandate. Campaigns targeted public beneficiaries as well as commercial and institutional stakeholders in the space and aviation sectors.
Content Development and Copywriting – Produced and edited content across multiple formats, including press releases, blog articles, social media content, video scripts and presentation materials. Content was designed to translate complex space science topics into clear, accessible language.
Media Buying – Managed media placements across print, online, radio, television and out-of-home channels to support campaign visibility and reach.
Media Engagements – Coordinated interviews, media briefings and live broadcasts, including a live radio broadcast from a SANSA facility to showcase operational capabilities.
Media Relations – Built relationships with journalists covering space, science, technology and aviation in South Africa. Managed media queries and prepared SANSA spokespeople for interviews and public engagements.
Event Coordination – Supported event outreach, including speaker coordination, sponsorship support and communications content for industry events.
Notable Projects
Space Weather Awareness (2025–26) – The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires airlines to integrate space weather data into flight planning under Annex 3. Space weather events – such as coronal mass ejections and geomagnetic storms – can disrupt communications, navigation systems and onboard electronics, and exposure crews to higher levels of ionising radiation over time. Despite these risks, awareness of space weather across the African aviation sector remains limited. Plane Talking worked with SANSA to develop a targeted awareness campaign focused on airlines and aviation stakeholders in Southern Africa. Campaign activities included a live radio broadcast from SANSA’s Hermanus space weather centre, industry engagement at the African Airlines Association 2026 Stakeholders Convention, and support for airline participation in an ICAO workshop on space weather integration.
Value of Space (2025–26) – This campaign focused on communicating the economic and social value of space science, technology and engineering in South Africa. The aim was to improve public understanding of how space infrastructure supports everyday services, including navigation, weather forecasting and communications. Plane Talking developed nine public outreach campaigns and supported additional initiatives, including a national survey on public perceptions of the space industry and the development of a school outreach mascot to support science education and awareness.
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