"Latin America’s space programs: an update"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
22 January, 2018
The Space Review
Originally published:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3413/1
Latin American space programs have continued to develop and expand in
recent years, with countries like Bolivia and Peru achieving major
victories after the successful launches of new satellites. While there
has been the occasional loss, like the 2015 destruction of a Mexican
satellite aboard a Russian rocket, regional space programs have in
general continued to grow, with additional launches planned for the near
future.
This commentary is an update to the author’s 2012 article on the subject (see
“Latin America’s space programs in 2012”,
The Space Review, August 27, 2012), aimed at discussing new
developments among Latin America’s programs and what they signal for the
future.
Recent successes
This article will not attempt to enumerate every single test and
initiative that Latin American space programs have carried out in the
past five years. Rather, this will focus on highlighting particular
accomplishments by different nations to provide a broad overview of
recent developments.
As mentioned in the introduction, two successful launches that occurred
in recent years were part of Peru’s and Bolivia’s growing programs. In
the case of Peru, its high-resolution Earth observation satellite,
Peru-Sat1,
was constructed by Airbus Defense and Space and launched from French
Guiana in September 2016. The Airbus-Peru deal included the construction
of a center
(Centro Nacional de Operaciones de Imágenes Satelitales: CNOIS)
outside Lima so the Peruvians can control their satellite. The project
has generally been regarded as a success, as the Peruvian government has
declared that “the investment it has made into the satellite programme
has already been recouped,” according to
a December 2017 Airbus press statement
that also explained that in its first year of operations, the satellite
has delivered more than 71,000 images. Peru-Sat1 was also praised for
helping monitor the damage caused by floods that affected the country’s
northern regions in early 2017.
Meanwhile, Bolivia’s new telecommunications satellite, Tupac Katari
(TK-1), was constructed by China and launched in 2013. Bolivia’s space
agency
(Agencia Boliviana Espacial: ABE)
manages the satellite, which is aimed at improving access of Bolivian
citizens to telecommunications and media services. It is worth noting
that the project has not been without criticism, as
an August 20, 2017, article by the Bolivian daily El Deber
explained that ABE’s high prices deter some Bolivian telecommunications
companies from utilizing the satellite’s broadband services. In spite
of price issues, agencies like Bolivia’s customs service (Aduana
Nacional) and the state-owned oil company (Yacimientos Petrolíferos
Fiscales Bolivianos: YPFB) already utilize the satellite, in addition to
numerous radio and television stations. The telecommunication company
Viva has stated that thanks to the satellite,
it can provide better broadband services to customers in rural and isolated areas.
As for Colombia, the country’s domestically-manufactured satellite
UAPSAT was put into orbit in January 2014 after being launched from
Wallops Island, Virginia. The
Colombian daily El Colombiano
has described UAPSAT as the “first satellite manufactured with
Colombian parts and systems,” albeit with support from the Peruvian
university Alas Peruanas.
These examples highlight the different types of services new satellites
are rendering for Latin American countries, ranging from better access
to communication services to helping monitor their territories,
particularly after extreme weather events. Colombia’s UAPSAT satellite
is also worth noting, as this was a domestically manufactured platform,
demonstrating how more countries want to develop their own
satellite-building capabilities (more on this later).
In spite of these recent successes, there has been one loss, though not a
direct cause of Latin American programs themselves: in May 2015, a
Russian Proton-M rocket launched from the Baikonur space center
(Kazakhstan) failed,
causing the loss of a Mexican telecommunications satellite called Centenario.
The Latin American-Kazakh connection
One aspect to keep in mind is the different launch centers that Latin
American countries utilize to deploy their new satellites, such as
include China, French Guiana, and the United States. It is also
noteworthy that Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome has been utilized by
several Latin American nations for launches in recent years.
For example, back in 2007,
Colombia’s Libertad 1 cubesat was launched from Baikonur. Four years later, in 2011, a Russian-built Proton rocket launched Mexico’s QuetzSat-1. More recently, in 2014,
Chasqui-1,
a nanosatellite constructed by a Peruvian state university (Universidad
Nacional de Ingenieria: UNI), was launched aboard a Russian rocket.
Finally, in July 2017, a Russian Soyuz rocket left Baikonur with a
payload of dozens of satellites, including a nanosatellite manufactured
by an Ecuadorian university
(Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial)
with Russian assistance. A June 15, 2017, article by Russian government
news service Sputnik Mundo highlighted that this successful launch
meant that
for the first time Ecuador had a satellite in orbit that was constructed by one of its universities.
The reason why Kazakhstan is singled out as a launch center is because
Kazakh-Latin American relations are fairly limited (see the author’s
December 2017 commentary,
“The Eurasian Economic Union and Latin America: What could 2018 Bring?”).
Hence one strategy that Astana could utilize to approach Latin America
is to provide potential customers from the region more cost-efficient
launch services.
What will the future bring?
As for future initiatives, Chile is arguably the nation is most need to
launch a new satellite, as Fasat Charlie has been in orbit since 2011.
Back in 2016,
the Chilean media was already discussing when will the government order a replacement for the satellite, but so far no new project has been announced. Even more,
a January 2 op-ed in the Chilean daily El Mostrador,
which discussed the country’s natural security challenges, called out
the lack of progress regarding a replacement for Fasat Charlie. The
argues that “so far there is no new information regarding a final
decision, even though Chile requires satellites to strengthen its
telecommunications industry and to monitor its territory in order
anticipate possible natural disasters.” It will be interesting to see if
president-elect Sebastian Piñera will make the acquisition of a new
satellite a priority when he returns to power this March (he was
previously president from 2010 to 2014.)
As for Brazil, in October, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense announced
the drafting of a new blueprint to revamp the country’s space program.
This proposal includes establishing a national council for space
affairs (Conselho Nacional do Espaço: CNE) and an executive committee
for space (Comitê Executivo do Espaço: CEE). It is unclear if current
President Michel Temer will be able to make this proposal become law,
given the year he has left in office, or if a decision will be made by
the next president: Brazil will carry out general elections this October
and the next head of state takes office on January 1, 2019. The South
American giant is well known for its ambitious space program,
exemplified by the Alcântara center (Centro de Lançamento de Alcântara:
CLA), so hopefully the blueprint helps create a new momentum so it
continues to grow. It is also worth noting that
there are also plans to expand the CLA’s facilities, but this goal has encountered resistance from the communities that live in the area. Coincidentally, also in October,
Paraguay held its first ever conference on space issues
at the country’s Central Bank. The landlocked nation’s space agency
(Agencia Especial del Paraguay: AEP) organized the event, and brought
renowned special guests like Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, to
develop interest among the audience members to support AEP.
As for upcoming launches, one country that will have a new satellite in
orbit this year is Argentina, as the country’s space commission
(Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales: CONAE) is finishing the
construction of its SAOCOM 1A satellite. The platform is part of
an ambitious project between Argentina and Italy to establish a satellite network (Sistema Italo-Argentino de Satelites para la Gestion de Emergencias: SIASGE), and will
reportedly be launched out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in August. Similarly, in October, Costa Rica announced the successful construction of
Proyecto Irazú,
Central America’s first domestically-manufactured satellite. The
satellite, a joint project by Central America’s aerospace association
(Asociación Centroamericana de Aeronáutica y del Espacio: ACAE) and a
Costa Rican university (Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica: TEC), is
a cubesat that will be utilized to measure carbon gas emissions. The satellite will now be sent to Japan for final tests before it is launched.
Brazil’s blueprint, as well as Costa Rica’s and Argentina’s new
satellites, demonstrate the ongoing interest of Latin American nations
to develop their space programs. While these countries do not yet have
the capability to launch crewed spacecraft, the fact that several
countries are domestically manufacturing satellites is a promising step
that should be praised, and also deserves the support of the
international community.
Final thoughts
Latin American space programs have enjoyed significant accomplishments
in recent years as countries like Bolivia and Peru have modern new
satellites in orbit that support telecommunications and surveillance
projects, while Argentina, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and
Mexico have domestically constructed their own platforms. There have
even been bureaucratic developments, as Brazil is looking to revamp its
new space program while Paraguay is attempting to jumpstart its own.
Recent years have brought more successes than failures, notwithstanding
the loss of a Mexican satellite and the delay in replacing Chile’s Fasat
Charlie.
Earth’s orbit is increasingly cluttered with space debris, but hopefully
there is still space for Latin America’s ambitious programs.
W. Alejandro Sanchez (
@W_Alex_Sanchez)
is a researcher who focuses on geopolitical, military, and
cybersecurity issues in the Western Hemisphere. The views presented in
this essay are the sole responsibility of the author and do not
necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the author is
associated.
