JOHANNESBURG, May 14 (Bernama) -- South Africa has joined the Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Europe (JIVE) as a member in jointly exploring cosmic secrets and will promote its cosmic research ties with Europe, the National Research Foundation (NRF) said yesterday.

"This shows a new level of partnership between Europe and South Africa in science," China's Xinhua news agency quoted the NRF as saying.

The JIVE, an international institute funded by national research councils in nine countries in Europe, deals in various fields of galactic and xtragalactic radio astronomy, planetary and space sciences.

South Africa is believed to have dozens of working astronomers, making up more than half of all the astronomers in the African continent.

The partnership will aid South Africa's commitment to the science of astronomy, and forge science relations with countries that are leaders in the exploration of cosmic science.

South Africa has been investing heavily in its space research in recent years in order to join the global space club that consists of a group of countries that sends spaceships or astronauts into space.

South Africa is reportedly carrying out an ambitious programme of creating micro satellites.

-- BERNAMA