The National Space Program establishes a set of initiatives, projects and resources aimed at the development, promotion and dissemination of space activity, in addition to the use of technologies and applications, to contribute to the implementation, monitoring and compliance with the national policy on this matter. In this interview, Colonel of the Chilean Air Force (FACH) and Deputy Director of Space Affairs, Hernán Tello explains the scope and development of this space project, and his participation in the Trade Mission ConnectEO.

The National Space System brings together the joint work of the Ministries of Defense, Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Foreign Relations, Transport and Telecommunications, National Assets, the academic world and the Chilean Air Force (FACH), and seeks to contribute to the institutionality and country vision.

The Colonel of the Chilean Air Force and Deputy Director of Space Affairs, Hernán Tello reviews, in this interview, the scope of the National Space Program project, which emerged from another instance of satellite renewal, and which took on multidisciplinary overtones over time.

Considering that the FACH already had a history around space activities, how much did that previous experience influence the current project?

The Chilean Air Force has developed space activities for almost 25 years, with Fa Sat (Earth Observation Satellite System) in 1995, 1998 and in 2010, with Fa-Sat Charlie. This system has the objective of providing spatial information for different dual-use activities, but it is a very punctual project, which is not the same as now. From the point of view of space operations, it has been very successful. It is a French satellite that, thanks to its operation and the activity of engineers, has been able to double its operational life. So, we take those lessons learned to be able to integrate them now, taking this as a national and not an institutional challenge.

How did the Space Program come about?

It started at the FACH, and later in the process we were able to deliver the proposal to other institutions (ministries and universities), and thus it took on other shades, to see what the interest and challenges around the project were, also to carry out a survey of studies around the space needs of the country, and thus it was built through the participation and articulation of different actors. In the renovation process, we had generated a project to change the satellite for one with greater capacity, but finally the government asked us to review this project and articulate it together with various actors. This is how today’s National Space System was reached. Pillars were sought that nourish and allow reaching people with information and solutions. Likewise, this project has a more social aspect in which it seeks to inform the public about the process, through the School Space Program.

How has the implementation of the School Space Program been?

The implementation of the School Space Program began -with pilot programs-in the places where we had the operation centers (Antofagasta, Santiago and Punta Arenas) and in general the reception has been good, also having a good work system in terms of the coordination of connection with teachers and other actors. In education there is a great technological and digital gap, and through this project we seek to contribute with opportunities and knowledge, in addition to being able to work on different skills. This has allowed us to have a great arrival with the regional governments, we have signed agreements with some of them; We have increased from three regions to five and in terms of schools we have increased from 15 to 20 in just a few months. One of the latest regions to join this initiative is the Ñuble region.

What are the main challenges and difficulties surrounding the creation of the National Space System?

In general, what we have noticed is more interest, but new challenges and some problems have appeared. For example, regarding the challenges that may arise due to climatic diversity in Chile, the University of Magallanes told us that they did not have a sensor for the ozone layer, to which we replied that we would create a payload at the national level, and this is a project that has to materialize during these years and that has the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, universities and research centers. It is in these instances where a space is fostered to materialize this type of problem and solve it. Now, Chile, due to its territorial configuration and distribution, has many challenges, and the good thing is that the space allows you to deliver information and services, and generate applications for the benefit of society; and due to our geopolitical position in the world context, a very large country with diverse landscapes, we have the possibility of carrying out space activities in a way that other countries cannot.

Taking into consideration that this work contemplates the participation of government actors, academics and the Chilean Air Force itself, what evaluation do you have of the multidisciplinary nature to date?

The evaluation has been good, the multidisciplinary nature is a hallmark of the program. We have had fluid communication with all the stakeholders that are part of this project. In this sense, being able to make video calls has been essential to meet with people and institutions from all over Chile in order to advance in the implementation process. The interaction that has been generated between the organizations has been potential and that shows how well the communication has flowed. The program seeks to generate work teams, for example, in the construction of satellites, the idea is that there are 2 people from the Air Force and the 8 to 10 additional persons are all civilians, from different universities and regions.

How do you evaluate the current status of Chile in this matter, compared to the rest of the countries of the world?

Europe has a great advantage in this area, specifically in terms of space engineering, but we believe that through this program the distance will be closed. However, when it comes to the application of space technology, I think we are pretty good in some areas. At the country level we have very good specialists and technicians who have known the subject very well for a long time.

This program has as actors the academy, the government sector and the FACH. In Chile there is a niche of companies inserted in this subject that have knowledge and good practices to transmit. Do you plan to involve private actors in the project?

Throughout the project we have been building relationships through agreements with many universities, in this case framework agreements and specific agreements with other organizations. And regarding this work, there are many non-governmental organizations with which agreements have been reached, so we are also open to establishing relationships with companies to expand this project, especially in the educational aspect, there are even some with that is in talks, so it is a challenge that we currently have. The objective is to be able to advance in agreements and labor relations with other companies in educational matters.

You were part of 2 days of the ConnectEO Trade Mission, a virtual mission where European companies participated, and where you. presented the project, how do you rate this opportunity organized by Eurochile?

Within the framework of the project, we are willing to participate in all the seminars related to space activity to generate conferences on the subject. For us, participating in the event organized by Eurochile is a value because it allows us to integrate with the European Commission and with European companies that are developing this type of activity, and thus be able to incorporate new knowledge and technologies. For example, after our participation in the activity organized by the foundation, two companies contacted us to see the possibility of collaborating, so these types of instances are very important. So yes, it was a very good experience to participate in the ConnectEO Trade Mission because what is not communicated does not exist.