MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

NASA Chief says Argentine astronaut may soon travel to International Space Station

Nelson visited the CETT facilities Monday

NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson said Monday while visiting the Teófilo Tabanera Space Center (CETT) of the National Space Activities Commission (Conae), in the town of Falda del Cañete in the Argentine province of Córdoba, that an astronaut from the South American country might soon be traveling to the International Space Station.

A former space explorer himself, Nelson explained that “in the future, an Argentine astronaut will train at NASA, and later on we will see him travel to the International Space Station.”

”We are very impressed with what Argentina is doing (in space) and look forward to continued cooperation,“ said Nelson after signing last Thursday at Casa Rosada with local authorities Argentina's incorporation to the Artemis Agreements.

Nelson insisted that these agreements were ”based on the common sense related to the peaceful use of space.“

”This is important now because we are returning to the Moon and then, to Mars. That is why in the agreement there are provisions not only on peaceful use but also on cooperation in space in cases of emergency. There are also provisions related to the prohibition of interference in the scientific operations of other countries. And also that there are shared parts,“ to ensure cooperation between countries in the event of any inconvenience, he added.

”India was the 27th country (to join); Argentina, the 28th, and there will be more,“ he announced. Regarding China's space strategy, Nelson said ”It's very good, but they do it in secret.”

At the CETT Mission Control Center, Nelson and his entourage were briefed on the double monitoring, with duplication of equipment, that took place during the coronavirus pandemic, including some details about the work done to control the SAC-A, SAC-B, SAC-C, and SAC-C satellite missions, SAC-B, SAC-C and SAC-D of Conae, and currently the two Saocom, 1A and 1B, and hopefully by 2025, Sabia-Mar, the Satellite of Applications Based on Environmental Information of the Sea, which will provide data from the coasts and the sea.

According to local media, the Executive and Technical Director of Conae explained that CETT is working on the constellation of small SARE satellites, high revisit satellites of 200, and 250 kilos that will be put into orbit by the Argentine launchers Tronador II and Tronador III.