[By Guancha Network Columnist Chen Lan]
China-Latin America cooperation has taken a new step with the wind of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-CELAC Forum (China-Latin America and Caribbean Community Forum) in mid-May. Both sides have formulated a Joint Action Plan, which includes strengthening cooperation in the aerospace sector, jointly hosting the China-Latin America BeiDou Cooperation Forum, and jointly building the China-Latin America BeiDou Application Cooperation Development Center.
Readers interested in China-Latin America space cooperation may recall an old piece of news. The first "China-Latin America and Caribbean Space Cooperation Forum" was held in Wuhan last year. The "Wuhan Declaration" signed at that time covered seven comprehensive initiatives in information sharing, communication navigation remote sensing applications, talent cultivation and cultural exchange, deep space exploration, scientific research cooperation, international coordination, etc.
So, what is the background of China-Latin America space cooperation? Why is it now moving towards comprehensive cooperation? What does this mean for the future?
Most readers may be unfamiliar with Latin American space programs. Therefore, before answering these questions, it is necessary to understand some history first.
To begin with, let us define Latin America. It refers to all regions south of the United States in North and South America, including Central America, the West Indies, and South America, totaling 33 countries and regions; bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the north, stretching over 11,000 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of 20.7 million square kilometers, with a population of 650 million, mainly consisting of mixed-race people of European and indigenous descent, black people, indigenous peoples, and Caucasians. Spanish dominates the region, followed by Portuguese and French, both belonging to the Latin language family, hence the name Latin America.
In many people's minds, South America is seen as a poor and backward continent, while the Caribbean is associated only with tourism and piracy, and Latin American countries are considered insignificant peripheral nations in space technology. In fact, Latin American space programs started early, even earlier than China. This is not surprising, as some Latin American countries had already become quasi-developed nations before World War II, such as Argentina.
We must mention Ryszard Dyrgalla (Daguerre), the pioneer and founder of Latin American space programs. Daguerre was Polish, loved aviation since childhood, studied aerospace engineering in university, and later became a pilot in the Polish Air Force. After Germany occupied Poland, he went to Britain where he had the opportunity to study and research Germany's V-2 missiles. After World War II, the Argentine government emulated the United States by recruiting scientists from Germany and other European countries. In 1946, he was invited to Argentina to engage in rocket research.
Daguerre and Tahano missile
Daguerre's first task was the Tabano air-launched missile project. The initial progress was good. In 1949, the first liquid rocket engine in Latin America underwent testing. This was not only a milestone for Argentina's independent technology but also marked the beginning of the entire Latin American space program. However, by 1950, the Tabano flight test failed, and the project was canceled.
Afterward, Daguerre participated in several sounding rocket projects in Argentina. In the late 1960s, he moved to Brazil and joined the Aerospace Technical Institute. In 1970, Daguerre passed away. He contributed to establishing the earliest Latin American space programs and made significant contributions to the two major South American space powers, possibly called the father of Latin American space programs.
In 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Latin American countries also experienced a wave of rocket fever. Argentina established the National Space Research Commission (CNIE) in 1960. Brazil formed the National Group Organization Committee for Space Activities (GOCNAE) in 1961. Both countries focused on sounding rockets as their development priority and engaged in a regional space race over the following decades. The status of Latin America's two major space powers was thus established and continues to this day. Below is a table showing the main milestones of early sounding rocket development in the two countries.
Until the mid-1970s, Argentina led the competition slightly, but Brazil had a catch-up momentum. In 1979, the Argentine Air Force initiated the Condor solid rocket development plan, claiming it was a sounding rocket, expected to have the capability to launch satellites by 1990. The Condor had single-stage and two-stage models. The two-stage model was 10.3 meters long, 0.8 meters in diameter, weighing 4.8 tons, making it the largest rocket ever developed in Latin America at that time.
At that time, there was no consensus to prevent the spread of missile technology. Argentina's plan received technical support from German and Italian companies. After the Falklands War, the Argentine generals deeply felt the pain of lacking autonomous long-range weapons and decided to add guidance systems to the Condor, turning it into a real ballistic missile with a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers, sufficient to cover the Falklands.
However, during this period, Argentina's economy was unstable. The Condor plan progressed slowly due to a lack of funds. Coincidentally, Egypt and Iraq needed ballistic missiles, leading to an agreement. Argentina reached missile technology export agreements with the two countries. By 1987, Argentina had provided 12 solid engines to Egypt. But none of these escaped the eyes of Britain and the United States. That same year, Western countries established the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), and Argentina was the first affected. In 1989, the Argentine presidential election took place against the backdrop of hyperinflation and massive debt. New President Menem adopted neoliberalism, unable to resist the strong pressure from the United States and the temptation of economic aid, forcing the cancellation of the Condor plan.
Condor II rocket on the launch pad machtres.com
The Condor rocket never left the ground. From 1979 to 1991, the entire plan, including investments from Middle Eastern countries, amounted to approximately $5 billion, with half potentially flowing into contractors dominated by Western companies. Due to its thorough destruction upon cancellation, the Condor plan left behind no hardware, facilities, technology, or management experience, and even the highest national space agency CNIE was dissolved.
In the 1990s, Argentina's space program collapsed, and Brazil became the leader of Latin American space activities. As early as the mid-1980s, based on the success of the Sonda series sounding rockets, Brazil began developing the VLS-1 carrier rocket. It is a three-and-a-half-stage solid rocket with four boosters, measuring 19.5 meters in length, 1 meter in diameter, weighing 51 tons at takeoff, capable of delivering a 350-kilogram payload into low Earth orbit. The launch site is at the Alcantara Launch Center near the equator at 2 degrees south latitude.
However, Brazil took over Argentina's baton and inherited its fate. On November 2, 1997, the first flight of the VLS-1 failed because one booster did not work, and it was destroyed one minute after ignition. On December 11, 1999, the second flight lasted three and a half minutes but failed to ignite the second stage and was destroyed. On August 22, 2003, three days before the scheduled third launch, an unexpected ignition of one booster caused a major explosion, completely destroying the launch platform tower, and resulting in the death of 21 scientists and engineers, making it the deadliest space accident so far this century.
VLS-1 rocket second launch Aeroflap
The exact cause of the accident remains undetermined. Investigations pointed to possible accidental discharge in the ignition system as the most likely cause. Conspiracy theories suggest sabotage by France to eliminate competition from another equatorial launch site, the 3,000-kilometer-away Kourou launch site of the European Space Agency, but there is no evidence. The Brazilian government terminated the VLS-1 program in 2016. Since then, plans to cooperate with Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and the United States to launch rockets from Alcantara have not materialized.
This was the closest Latin America came to space. To this day, the Alcantara launch site has been silent for more than twenty years.
Thus, the dreams of the two major Latin American space powers shattered one after another, followed by Iran, North Korea, and South Korea surpassing them. Both countries' space priorities reluctantly shifted to satellite applications, putting them on the same starting line as Mexico, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, and other secondary Latin American space nations.
In September 1985, Brazil and Latin America's first communications satellite - Brasilsat A1 - was successfully launched by an Ariane rocket. In December of the same year, Mexico also acquired its first communications satellite - Morelos 1. These two geosynchronous orbit communication satellites were manufactured by Hughes of the United States. In 1997, Argentina's Nahuel 1A communications satellite also joined their ranks. After years of development, the state-owned satellite companies of the three countries have multiple high-orbit communications satellites, becoming the main providers of Latin American satellite communication services.
In 2008, China successfully launched Venezuela's Simon Bolivar communications satellite, which was manufactured in China. In 2012 and 2017, Venezuela's remote sensing satellites No. 1 and No. 2 were launched and put into operation. In 2014, China's manufactured Tupac Katari communications satellite for Bolivia successfully entered orbit. With China's help, the two countries have built their own satellite application industries from scratch.
China-Brazil Resources Satellite 01 INPE
In 1988, China and Brazil signed an agreement to cooperate in the development of the China-Brazil Resources Satellite (CBERS). Over the past 30 years, a total of six CBERS satellites have been launched, playing a crucial role in Brazil's remote sensing applications and becoming a model of South-South cooperation. These satellites were primarily developed by China, but Brazil participated to varying degrees in design, manufacturing, testing, and operations.
Peru and Chile launched satellites developed by the European Space Agency and the University of Surrey in the UK, conducting remote sensing applications.
Brazil and Argentina, the two "major space powers," also began developing their own satellites in the 1990s and achieved some successes, such as Brazil's SCD series small satellites, Argentina's SAC-D Earth observation satellite, and the Amazonia-1 satellite recently co-developed by the two countries. Argentina's state-owned INVAP company developed the ARSAT series high-orbit communication satellites based on the success of SAC-D, successfully launching and commercially operating them. Although the core components were sourced from Western suppliers, this is the heaviest satellite independently developed in Latin America, weighing 3 tons, and can be considered the highest achievement in satellite development in Latin America.
ARSAT-2 satellite INVAP
The maturity of small satellite technology and the rise of commercial space have brought hope to more Latin American countries to independently master space technology.
Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and other countries have developed their own micro-nano satellites and launched them into space. The most ambitious space mission is the five miniature lunar rovers developed by Mexico, scheduled to fly to the moon aboard Astrobotic's Peregrine 1 lander in early 2024. Unfortunately, the Peregrine 1 mission failed, and the Colmena, measuring 12 centimeters long and weighing only 56 grams, lost the chance to create the world's smallest lunar rover record.
Colmena lunar rover AEM
In terms of commercial space, Argentina's Satellogic is a standout in Latin America. Founded in 2010, the company plans to establish a low-cost constellation of 200 low-orbit satellites to use 50-kilogram-class small satellites to obtain high-resolution images at 0.5 meters and low-resolution images with a 150-kilometer swath width. So far, it has launched 50 satellites, with the first eight launched using Chinese rockets, and subsequent orders all handed over to SpaceX. The company is widely看好 and has already listed on NASDAQ.
In 2021, an event of great significance to the development of Latin American space occurred. Under the active promotion of Mexico and Argentina, the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) was officially established. Unfortunately, Brazil refused to join citing bureaucratic institutions. However, this is the first time that many Latin American countries have imitated the European Space Agency to jointly conduct space activities. Hopefully, this is a good start.
This is the tortuous and even tragic history of Latin American space programs.
Through this history, we see the relentless pursuit of the stars and seas by Latin American countries, their strong desire to control their own destiny, and their helplessness in the face of economic difficulties and surrounding powers. We also see the hope presented in the new global landscape.
The tragedy of Latin American space programs should fundamentally be linked to Latin American countries falling into the middle-income trap since the 1970s. Economic turmoil not only weakened national finances but severely impacted space development and also led to political instability, providing opportunities for external interference.
However, Latin America is vast, rich in resources, and populous, with once considerable economic success and 60 years of space industry accumulation. The world has experienced globalization, informatization, and digitization. Emerging forces represented by BRICS countries are rising and driving the world toward diversification. The influence of Western countries is no longer what it used to be. This is the opportunity and hope for Latin American revival.
To be frank, the current scale of China-Latin America space cooperation does not match Latin America's potential or China's second-place position in global space capabilities. So far, China and Latin America have only implemented a few projects, including the China-Brazil Resources Satellite, four commercial satellites for Venezuela and Bolivia, Argentina's deep-space tracking station, and Satellogic launch services. China's influence in Latin America still lags far behind that of the United States. We should not forget Latin America. Promoting comprehensive and in-depth development of China-Latin America space cooperation is of great significance and is urgent.
Of course, we must also recognize that as the backyard of the United States, Latin American space activities are greatly influenced by the U.S. Historically, American influence can be found in virtually every space project. As early as the 1950s, the U.S. built a circle of ground tracking stations or observation posts in Latin America. The U.S. also used manned spaceflight to exert influence. In 1985, Mexican astronaut Vera flew aboard the American Atlantis spacecraft for a seven-day mission. In March 2006, Brazilian astronaut Pontes worked for seven days aboard a Soyuz spacecraft at the International Space Station as a member of an ISS partner country. The following year, Brazil withdrew from the program due to a lack of funding.
Currently, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Panama are members of NASA's Artemis Moon Return Program. In commercial space activities, SpaceX's Starlink service is already available in most Latin American countries. Most of the commercial space projects in Latin America also receive support from American capital and technology.
Cuban astronaut Mendez, the first astronaut from Latin America
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union attempted to counterbalance American influence in Latin America. On September 1980, Cuban Air Force Colonel Mendez entered the Salyut 7 space station aboard Soyuz 38, spending seven days in space before returning to Earth, becoming the first astronaut from Latin America and the first black astronaut. After the end of the Cold War, Russian space power waned, and although discussions were held with Brazil about cooperation for equatorial launches, nothing came of it. Currently, Russia has almost no presence in Latin America.
So, what can we do?
China has made tremendous progress in space launch vehicles, manned spaceflight and space stations, deep space exploration, and space science, establishing a global reputation. Latin America, on the other hand, has unique geographical advantages. The two can engage in many government-level collaborations. We will soon see experiments from Mexico and Peru aboard the Chinese space station, continue to launch two China-Brazil resources satellites, and discuss establishing an equatorial launch site, inviting Latin American astronauts to participate in Chinese space station flights, carrying Latin American payloads on deep space probes, space missions and scientific research targeting the Amazon rainforest, etc. These collaborations will not only expand China's influence and strengthen its brand in Latin American space activities but also help enhance the scientific research level and space technology capabilities of Latin American countries.
In recent years, China's commercial space industry has developed rapidly. The services and products honed in the domestic market environment have outstanding cost-performance advantages and strong international competitiveness, especially suitable for the limited payment capacity of the Latin American market. Commercial satellite systems represented by low-orbit constellations have matured and are now capable of competing with Starlink. Recently, the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Yuanxin Qianfan constellation and Brazil is a good start.
Exporting commercial space to Latin America should not be short-sighted by merely selling products. Instead, it should focus on the long term, integrating the Chinese and Latin American commercial space ecosystems, to bind the market and future development opportunities. For example, satellite companies need to open up technical interfaces to allow numerous local Latin American enterprises to participate in the development of ground equipment and application solutions. Chinese capital can enter Latin America and participate in the financing of local commercial space enterprises. Conversely, quality enterprises from Latin America can enter the Chinese space market, including the capital market.
With extensive cooperation at both the government and business levels, various aspects of space cooperation in academic exchanges, talent cultivation, space popular science and education, and international coordination will naturally roll out. Such cooperation is what we expect as comprehensive cooperation. When China integrates deeply with the global South, including Latin America, the U.S. attempt to isolate China through decoupling cannot succeed. Meanwhile, Latin America can ride on China's express train. This is a win-win outcome.
This may be the vision behind the seven initiatives of the "Wuhan Declaration."
The world has entered a great transformation unseen in a century. Perhaps, this is the hope for a Latin America that has faced numerous challenges, and also an opportunity for the rejuvenation of China. I hope one day we will no longer hear the phrase "too far from God, too close to the U.S." and feel no sadness when hearing the song "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina."
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