Between July 25-30, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Argentine SAOCOM-1B Earth observation satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida. A delegation of Argentine scientists and engineers from the National Space Activities Commission (CONAE), high-tech company INVAP, and affiliated organizations are traveling to Florida today, where they will be in quarantine until July 12, and then get to work preparing for the launch, working out of SpaceX’s headquarters. They will coordinate with teams in Buenos Aires and the provinces of Cordoba and Rio Negro.
Up until 2015, Argentina had a vigorous satellite program, promoted by the governments of Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007) and his wife and successor Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2015), who saw development of the nation’s scientific capabilities as a top national priority. But neoliberal President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) did everything possible to eviscerate those capabilities, slashing budgets and attempting to privatize the state-run satellite company.
