MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

FAU Officer highlights the importance of Uruguay having a space agency

Uruguay intends to have a rocket launching facility to become a regional hub in the field, García explained

Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) Captain Mariana García underscored in a TV interview this weekend the importance of the South American country having a Space Agency while developing a national policy in this regard.

García is an advisor to the Air Force Space Affairs Committee and has participated in numerous events worldwide promoting this initiative and highlighting the need for a space agency to position Uruguay internationally and to ensure safe and controlled space activities.

Montevideo's interministerial Space Policy Board has been working for a year to create a regulatory framework for private space initiatives, such as the so-called Atria Spaceport, which would facilitate satellite launches and position the country as a technological hub. The project could promote education and industry, generating ecosystems around the port, such as rocket assembly and part manufacturing.

In her TV appearance Sunday, García explained that the space race is now going through a period known as “New Space” and that it is based on private development, so each country needs to regulate these activities. Hence, it would be “ideal” to have a space agency, not only for Uruguay to position itself internationally in terms of space cooperation but also to exercise control of these activities so that they are carried out safely and thus “protect the country's interests.”

Last year, the Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) -and García- participated in the Space Agencies Leaders Meeting organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the Artemis Agreements meeting at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan.

With satellites an essential part of the 21st Century world, rockets are launched from spaceports all over the planet, which is what Uruguay seeks to have, which would in turn position Uruguay as a technological hub in this field.

“The existence of industry can promote education, just as education can generate industry. It is something cyclical, but if we have the opportunity to receive an investment of this type, we can take advantage of it to provide education in this. There is a lot of eagerness from young people, it is perfect to use it as an engine for learning,” she said.