Claudio Andrade
02/21/2020 - 16:51
- Clarín.com
- Society
Among applause, as if it were an old friend or a very dear relative, INVAP scientists and technicians dismissed the Saocom 1B satellite that was transferred at the dawn of this Friday in the framework of an important security operation to the airport of Bariloche The complex 42-ton device, twin brother of Saocom 1A, will be transported in the early hours of Saturday to Cape Canaveral from this town, with a stopover in Santiago, Chile, on the Russian plane Antonov AN 124.
Around 4 o'clock, the transfer operation began at INVAP laboratories to the airport with the participation of agents from the National Gendarmerie, Airport Police and Civil Protection personnel. The journey was made in brand new IVECO trucks, capable of supporting the weight and providing the necessary stability, those who advanced slowly taking into account the delicate cargo. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to make 8.3 kilometers.
This Friday afternoon there is a farewell ceremony involving the head of Cabinet, Santiago Cafiero, the governor of Río Negro, Arabela Carreras and the authorities of INVAP.
The design and construction of the satellites Saocom 1A and Saocom 1B crossed the mandates of Fernando de la Rúa, Néstor Kirchner, Cristina Fernández and Mauricio Macri and involved a global investment of about US $ 600 million. The cost was distributed over more than 20 years of work in offices and laboratories.
Río Negro: the team that worked on the Argentine satellite Saocom 1B, which travels to the United States this Saturday. Photo: Télam
Developing each one required more than 4 million hours of work by scientific and technical personnel. The assembly was done in airtight rooms that avoided any kind of contamination of the delicate circuits. Once formally completed, they were put to numerous tests on motion and temperature simulators that ranged from 150 above zero to 150 below zero.
The first sketches of the ambitious project that puts Argentina in soil observation thanks to microwave technology -SAOCOM refers to Argentine Satellite Observation with Microwave- at the height of Japan , were made in the late 90's. But the State-owned enterprise only took flight in 2005 when an agreement was signed with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to launch a network of six satellites. Six powerful eyes scrutinizing the Earth.
“This is an excellent instrument that has multiple utilities. It is the product of state policies that governments go through, because the first sketches began to be made in the 90s, and now the fruits begin to be seen, ”explains Clarín Josefina Peres, head of the Saocom project, of the National Activities Commission Space (Conae).
The Argentine satellite that will travel to the United States this Saturday.
“We will have great information to take advantage of the soil moisture, but we can also observe the operation of the poles, or collaborate in situations of natural disasters. There are already states that have requested information on derived products , ”he adds.
Peres recalls that the birth of the Saocom project, which is made up of a radar system, was the starting point for INVAP to start producing them. Radars, for communications and defense, became one of the main sources of resources of the prestigious technology center. "Radars were tested on airplanes because we had to be sure that they would work later in space," he explains.
The Saocom A1 and B1 are twin brothers who will be part of a network of four other satellites of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The devices will auscultate the surface of the earth and even more since its technology allows them to enter up to 2 meters in the earth.
Each Saocom satellite will complete a return to Earth every 4 hours and a half at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour (km / h).
“They were specially designed to detect soil moisture and obtain information on the earth's surface in any weather condition or time of day. This is possible because radar microwaves are able to pass through clouds and "see" even if it is cloudy, both day and night. These characteristics make SAOCOMs especially useful for preventing, monitoring, mitigating and evaluating natural or anthropic catastrophes . Although it will take data from all over the world, it will be able to know in particular what the soil moisture in the Pampas region is , ”notes the information provided by CONAE.
Thanks to this state-of-the-art technology, Argentina will also have first-hand information on the effect of global warming, the process of defrosting the poles, deforestation on the planet, among other crucial issues internationally, scientific sources report.
“This is a long-standing investment of US $ 600 million. The agreement with the Italian agency is 2005. Now there is a decision to resume the investment in science and technology in the country that includes the relaunch of Arsat (satellite), to provide communications and internet services that are difficult to access for our country ”, The National Science and Technology Minister Roberto Salvarezza tells this newspaper.
“The Saocoms together with the Italian satellites will form a very powerful constellation that allows observing through the clouds, obtaining valuable data for INTA and all producers and for emergency control. It will have a high impact on the productive and disaster control, ”he added.
“There are few countries that dominate this technology, Japan is one, Argentina is another. The country has shown that it is competitive in nuclear technology, biotechnology and other areas of scientific development. We have to continue in that direction. Argentina will find a competitive place in the world to the extent that it is committed to education, science and technology. In 2015 there were 3 researchers in the country for every one hundred thousand economically active inhabitants and today there are 2.5. But, for example, Israel has 12 and developed countries have between 8 and 12 per 100,000, ”he says.
INVAP, the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), High Technology Testing Center (Ceatsa), the Integration and Testing Laboratory (LIE) of the Taónera Teófilo Space Center of CONAE participated in the different construction instances of the Saocoms. , in Córdoba, among others.
SC