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President Sebastián Piñera, accompanied by the Ministers of Defense, Mario Desbordes; of Transport, Gloria Hutt and of Sciences, Andrés Couve, announced this Saturday the development of a new national satellite system, which aims to materialize a Space Program that, along with advancing the country’s satellite capacity, is a contribution to national scientific and technological development, for defense and civil society.
The initiatives that make up the program provide a roadmap for a realistic spatial development that will allow Chile to have its own satellite capabilities within 10 years, tailored to the country’s needs.
The program will make it possible to have, within a year, an operational satellite that will replace the Fasat-Charlie, which has already completed its useful life. It also includes the manufacture, launch and commissioning of two new high-resolution satellites, one of which will be built in Chile. The three satellites will make up a national constellation for Earth observation, enhancing Fasat-Charlie’s capabilities.
To this will be added the qualification of three orbital control ground stations, which will be located in Santiago, Punta Arenas and Antofagasta. This last one will be mobile and will be able to move where it is required. They will be interconnected and will allow decentralized access to satellite images and will increase the possibilities for international cooperation in space matters.
In addition to building a high-resolution satellite, 7 microsatellites will be built -with the participation of the Defense sector, the academic world and the national industry- which will expand the national knowledge in space matters and will contribute to Chilean technological development. They will focus, for example, on providing alerts for Search and Rescue Systems (SAR), as well as maritime surveillance and monitoring.
“Today, instead of an individual satellite, we want to announce the launch of a national satellite system, which will coordinate and integrate the efforts of the Ministry of Defense, the Air Force and the Ministry of Science, for the benefit of the defense of security, “said the president.
On video: check the president’s announcement
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