South Africa is looking at re-opening launch facilities for rockets, Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor said.

This follows the Department of Trade and Industry publishing a National Space Policy in March last year, defenceweb.co.za reported.

An official also said last year that "it was hoped that SA would be in a position to be a launching state in five to ten years time".

The minister was speaking at an event where the first images of South Africa's Sumbandila satellite were publically shown, according to engineeringnews.co.za.

Pandor acknowledged that the launch facilities were de-activated in line with the non-proliferation treaty but that they were not used for weapons only.