Valanathan MUNSAMI

Dr. Valanathan Munsami was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) on 3 January 2017. Dr Munsami has held a number of positions within the Department of Science and Technology, with the latest position held being the Chief Science and Technology Representative of the Department of Science and Technology since February 2016. Dr Munsami has a clear understanding of the space industry and has engaged with SANSA on a number of occasions. Among Dr Munsami’s achievements, he was involved in the Strategy and Policy development for the South African national space programme. Dr Munsami currently Chairs the African Union Space Working Group, which developed the African Space Policy and Strategy that was approved by the African Heads of State in January this year. As the Chief Specialist for Astronomy, during his employment at the Department of Science and Technology, Dr Munsami was involved in the development of a National Multi-Wavelength Astronomy Strategy and the SKA Readiness Strategy. Dr Munsami’s academic background includes a BSc in Physics & Mathematics, BSc Honours in Physics, and a PhD in Physics from the University of KwaZulu Natal. Dr Munsami has completed a Program in Business Leadership (PBL) and subsequently obtained his Masters in Business Leadership (MBL) through the University of South Africa.
Events

The Global Space Exploration Conference 2021
14-18 June 2021
St. Petersburg, Russia
Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2020
12-14 October 2020
Cyberspace edition
Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2019
21-25 October 2019
Washington, United States of America
Participation:

The Global Conference on Space for Emerging Countries 2019
24-26 April 2019
Marrakech, Morocco
Participation:
- GLEC 2019: Organizers
- Wednesday 24 April: SESSION 1: BENEFITS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PART 1 – AGENCY PERSPECTIVE
- Wednesday 24 April: SESSION 1: BENEFITS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PART 2 – INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
- Friday 26 April: RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Friday 26 April: CLOSING CEREMONY

International Astronautical Congress 2018
1–5 October 2018
Bremen, Germany
Participation:
- Friday 5 October 2018: The Design Sprint: How to Solve Almost Any Challenge in Less Than a Week
- Tuesday 2 October 2018: IAF GNF Society & Education Stream: The Role of Education in Support of Emerging Countries
- Wednesday 3 October 2018: IAF GNF Development Stream: Small Satellite Applications Development Leveraging Socio-Economic Benefits

The Global Space Applications Conference 2018
21-23 May 2018
Montevideo, Uruguay
Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2017
25-29 September 2017
Adelaide, Australia
Participation:

The Global Space Exploration Conference 2017
6-8 June 2017
Beijing, China
Participation:
