Government of Uruguay advances in the creation of its own space agency

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Uruguayan Air Force intends to create a space agency and promote the industry in agreement with private companies. Several bills have already been drafted, most of which will become decrees, Air Force commander Luis de León told El Observador.

The first of them was approved in February and involves the creation of the National Space Policy Board, a body in which the Executive is permanently advised on this issue. As it became known, as of 2020 the interest of some private companies in carrying out space activities grew.

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The approval of this decree was an impulse for others to start up. One of them is being analyzed by the Presidency and involves the creation of the National Registry of Objects Launched into Space. This would serve to regulate each occasion in which someone wanted to launch something into space, giving them “rights and obligations”.

Its importance lies in the consequences of possible incidents, because if a rocket hits a person or another country, it is the responsibility of the State, explained de León. This is stipulated in international treaties to which Uruguay is subscribed.

Another of the projects that the government is analyzing is the creation of a space agency that would allow it to continue advancing in this area along with the rest of the countries in the region.

PRACTICE

Space activity is still not regulated despite the existence of an agreement signed between the United Nations and Uruguay. Thus, it is established that, from 100 kilometers above the sea, the activities are considered spatial and without sovereignty.

The outer space treaty, signed in 1967 (and ratified by Uruguay in 1970), stresses that this area must be used for the benefit of humanity, offering the possibility that all interested countries can explore it without any discrimination.

An Argentine company called Tlon Space S.A proposed to the Uruguayan government the possibility of launching rockets from the department of Rocha. As León told El País, this was “the first time that a company comes to consult us about something like this.”

Apparently that area is of interest because satellites can be launched without them entering the airspace of neighboring countries. In addition, the low costs and economic stability that Uruguay offers turn out to be a great attraction for those interested.

This company is dedicated to placing third-party satellites in orbit and was founded in 2005 by Pablo Vic and Gerardo Natale. For some time they have been interested in putting nanosatellites into orbit, those with an approximate weight of between one and 10 kilograms.

But Uruguay is not totally oblivious to the presence of satellites in space. In 2008, together with Venezuela, it launched a satellite that was used for communications. The device cost about US$400 million and could remain in orbit until 2023. However, in 2020 it stopped working.

In this context and after Uruguay’s intention to use that orbit, the government looked for a company that could launch a satellite. This is how Satellogic appeared, an Argentine company based in Uruguay. Although there is a confidentiality agreement, de León said that they agreed to a higher resolution of megapixels for the satellite images of Uruguay. These will be managed by the Uruguayan Spatial Data Infrastructure, a body created in 2013.