THE Philippines and Argentina are literally taking the trajectory of their mutual relations to greater heights and atmospheric levels.
This, as the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Argentine Republic’s National Commission on Space Activities (Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, or CONAE) signed a cooperation agreement on the peaceful uses of outer space, while marking the 75th anniversary of the two nations’ diplomatic linkages.
The ceremony was part of the fifth Philippines-Argentina Bilateral Consultation Mechanism last April 23.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between both parties covers areas of collaboration in earth observation from space; use of satellite information for studies on the environment, natural resources and emergency management; satellite-systems development and their applications; ground infrastructure for space systems and their applications; space education and training; as well as space-industry promotion.
PhilSA director-general Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. signed the agreement, witnessed by Claudio Javier Rozencwaig who is the undersecretary for Foreign Policy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Argentine Republic.
“Our cooperation agreement with Argentina marks another milestone in our efforts to expand and deepen our ties with other space-capable nations,” Dr. Marciano said. “Through the partnership with CONAE, we open a new and exciting frontier in our countries’ long and rich relations, and additional opportunities for growing our local space ecosystems.”
Activities under the PhilSA-CONAE partnership include space projects and programs planning, development and implementation, exchange of space-based information, sharing of ground support for satellite missions, information and knowledge sharing, plus the exchanges of scientists and technical personnel.
Before their meeting on April 25 the Argentine delegation paid a courtesy visit to the PhilSA domicile and toured the ground station of the Philippine Earth Data Resource Observation or PEDRO at the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute premises, as well as the research facilities of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems or ULyS³ES on April 24.
Aside from CONAE, PhilSA has existing space agreements with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and United Arab Emirates Space Agency. The Philippine agency also enlisted to the Space for Climate Observatory—a global initiative promoting and facilitating the space-technology use for climate action led by the Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales: France’s national space agency.
Image credits: PHILSA
