Paraguay’s Second Satellite, GuaraníSat-2, Reaches Orbit via SpaceX
PARAGUAY · SCIENCE
Key Facts
- —The country Paraguay is a landlocked South American country between Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, known abroad for soybeans, beef and the Itaipú hydropower dam it shares with Brazil.
- —The background Its first satellite, GuaraníSat-1, was developed with Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology, assembled in Japan and launched in 2021.
- —Why now GuaraníSat-2 is the first Paraguayan satellite designed and assembled in Paraguay. It took three years and more than 40 professionals and students.
- —What happened It lifted off on a SpaceX rideshare with more than 100 other satellites from Vandenberg, California, on Thursday 1 October 2026 and was put into orbit.
- —The numbers The satellite measures 30 by 10 by 10 centimetres, about the size of a loaf of bread. It weighs under four kilograms and should work for about two years.
- —What it means for you If you are a radio amateur, it will relay data for your community. For Paraguay, it is a test bed for a planned Earth-observation satellite, GuaraníSat-3.
- —Still open Whether the satellite has unfolded its solar panels and made contact with its ground station in Asunción; the first reports did not yet confirm it.
Paraguay’s second satellite, GuaraníSat-2, has reached orbit on a SpaceX rideshare, SNT television and the newspaper Hoy reported on 1 October. It is the first Paraguayan satellite designed and assembled inside the country.
The nanosatellite took three years and more than 40 engineers, technicians and students to build. It will test solar panels and a computer chip, and help study a weak spot in Earth’s magnetic field.
What reached orbit
GuaraníSat-2 measures 30 by 10 by 10 centimetres and weighs less than four kilograms. It lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Thursday 1 October, on a SpaceX mission carrying more than 100 satellites.
The rocket climbed for about ten minutes, and the satellite was released about an hour after lift-off. Once free, it should unfold its solar panels and contact the Spacelab ground station at the National University of Asunción (UNA).
SNT called the launch a source of national pride that “marks a new chapter in the space history of Paraguay”. The project brought together more than 40 professionals and students over three years, the channel said.
What the satellite will do
Its main jobs are technical tests. It will try out solar panels developed by an Italian company and relay data for the amateur radio community.
It also carries a microchip from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, previously used on missions to Mars, to process and store images.
Researchers from UNA’s engineering faculty will use it to measure the South Atlantic Anomaly. That is a zone of weaker magnetic field that covers parts of Paraguay and Brazil.
The mission should last about two years, Hoy reported. The satellite will then lose altitude slowly and burn up in the atmosphere, so it leaves no debris in orbit.
From built in Japan to built at home
Paraguay’s first satellite, GuaraníSat-1, was developed with Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology and launched in 2021. It was assembled in Japan; its successor was built in Paraguay by engineers trained on that first project.
Japan remains a partner: GuaraníSat-2’s environmental tests took place there in 2025. Japan has also granted Paraguay US$24 million for a space technology centre at the university.
“What we want, from Paraguay, is to have autonomy and no longer depend on other countries,” said Esteban Fretes in September 2025. He directs research projects at the Paraguayan Space Agency (AEP) and was speaking to Paraguay TV.
What comes next
The first milestone is contact with the ground station in Asunción, which the first reports did not confirm. Months of tests on the panels, the chip and the magnetic measurements would follow.
Lessons from the mission will feed into GuaraníSat-3, planned for Earth observation. In 2025 the agency named crop monitoring as a goal; GuaraníSat-2 itself is a test platform, not an observation satellite.
The launch does not give Paraguay its own rockets, and a satellite this small does not provide internet or television. What it builds is skill: a country whose first satellite was assembled abroad now has home-built hardware in orbit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GuaraníSat-2?
It is Paraguay’s second satellite and the first designed and assembled in the country. The nanosatellite measures 30 by 10 by 10 centimetres, weighs under four kilograms and was launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission.
What will GuaraníSat-2 do?
It will test solar panels from an Italian company and a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory microchip, relay data for radio amateurs and help measure the South Atlantic Anomaly, a weak zone in Earth’s magnetic field.
How long will the satellite stay in space?
About two years. It will then lose altitude gradually and burn up on re-entry, so it does not leave debris in orbit.
Who built Paraguay’s first satellite?
GuaraníSat-1 was developed with Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology, assembled in Japan and launched in 2021. GuaraníSat-2 was built in Paraguay by engineers trained on that project.
Sources: SNT, “GuaraníSat-2 ya está en el espacio”, 1 October 2026, Última Hora, 1 October 2026, EFE via Diario Libre, 1 October 2026, Hoy, 1 October 2026, Hoy, Paraguayan Space Agency interview, 15 September 2025. Background on GuaraníSat-1 and Japanese funding: Rio Times reporting of February 2021 and March 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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