In current times, the Artemis agreements signed between the US and its more than 50 nations are a geopolitical tool that seeks to consolidate the US position in space and shape the future of space exploration in an environment of global competition with China and Russia.
If we are to transfer the same thinking to South America, the question is, how do the nations of the region use space cooperation in their geopolitical icebergs? To understand the issue, we need a quick contextualization of the South American space programs.
Ten South American countries have some type of satellite, from CubeSats like Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay, to optical imaging satellites or GEO satellites like Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela, purchased from Europe and China. And locally designed and assembled satellites like Argentina and Brazil, which have already built 21 local satellites.
The total of these 10 nations is about 115 satellites in the last 32 years and surprisingly none of these more than 100 satellites were developed in partnership between two South American nations!
Argentina cooperated with the US in the 1990s to build its first 4 scientific satellites, a bonus for the interruption of the development of military nuclear technologies and ballistic missiles. Brazil has been cooperating with China since 1988 in the construction of the China-Brazil Earth-Resources Satel lite, with 6 satellites launched between 1999 and 2019 and 2 more satellites planned.
Both nations proposed the SABIA-Mar mission 20 years ago to study the oceanic biosphere. The project never received funding to begin construction.
China has positioned itself as a major supplier of GEO satellites to Venezuela and Bolivia and high-resolution optical satellites to Venezuela. The European industry supplies optical satellites to Chile and Peru and GEO and SAR satellites to Brazil. Japan helped Paraguay build its first CubeSat in 2021.
Returning to the central question, why is there no space cooperation for binational missions in South America? The economy and the weak astropolitical culture help to better understand the issue.
Of the 10 South American nations, 7 of them developed space missions between 2004 and 2020. A period of relative prosperity in South America during the commodities boom. Currently, all the main regional economies are struggling, reflected in the low rate of new missions.
There are no space nations in South America. Argentina has a technological advantage over Brazil in satellite construction, and also has innovative companies such as Satellogic that commercialize high-resolution images. The portfolio of both Argentina and Brazil includes GEO, SAR, and EO satellites, which makes them self-sufficient in the production of satellites for all their needs, but both countries fail to develop and finance consistent space policies that project them as solid partners at the international level.
Peru and Colombia are currently developing plans to build satellites. Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela need to replace missions at the end of their useful life. These nations will probably choose technological and scientific partners with greater reputation and leadership in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Argentina and Brazil fail to build regional reputations that allow for win-win cooperation in the space industry in South America, and all countries in the region lose out.
+ Joao Dallamuta is a Professor of Higher Education in Management and Innovation at UTFPR in Cornelio Procopio, Brazil.
Argentina National Space Activities Commission
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