World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[imawswami]

Chile article translation



http://www.edicionesespeciales.elmercurio.com/destacadas/detalle/index.asp?idnoticia=0129062006021X1020008

Translated version:

Possible Chilean purchase Piece of satellite opens to strong questions

Daniel Fajardo C.

The price, its utility, its handling and the organization that its purchase solves are some points that expert in space matter puts in judgment fabric before the public opinion, weeks before which the government makes the final decision.

Chile has not had the best experiences with satellites and, apparently, the last attempt to buy a piece of the European partnership European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) went well directed, until deputy Patricio Hales put the shout in the air.

Yes, because what the country buys is not a satellite, but only one section, denominated "to transponder", which would be operated locally, comprising of the project "Aurora", where Chilean scientists and the Air Force try to detect of more efficient form clandestine activities, like the contraband, the drug traffic, the illegal fishing in the territorial sea or the indiscriminate cutting of natural forests, among others.

The investment will be of 38 million euros (near 26,170 million weights) and estimates that the benefit will reach the 27 million euros (18,600 million weights), something that according to the authorities makes the business profitable.

The final decision will be taken in the middle of July. Really, the famous acquisition of this apparatus does not have been free of controversy. Some think that it is moored political favors with the French government. Others complain which the resources for the purchase correspond to the reserved expenses of copper, since the satellite also will have civil aims.

A series of specialists and experts in the area of the space technology has put the alert voice about the possible purchase, using to Internet like an average one for it.

It is the case of Juan Paulo Ramirez, geographer with a specialization in Remote Perception (images of satellite analysis) and GIS. In addition, with a másters and a doctorate in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln of the United States. Ramirez indicates: "a satellite of ground observation does not exist in Chile capacity scientist-technique to analyze the volume of information that delivery. They exist alternative satelite very many but cheap to obtain data for civilian and military use ". And it ends up commenting in his blog: "the satellites have a life limited of 5 7 years. And later what ". Ignacio Martinez, president of Amsat-CE, foundation without profit aims that have been working for twelve years in the project to design and to construct experimental satellites in the country, comments that the handling of the satellite would have to be into the hands of a civil organization, like in many countries of the world.

"It would be far better to support the carried out existing projects by civilians in Chile and thus to generate companies that develop the necessary advances in this matter so that the country has it's own satelite technology",he comments.

For example, the support to the local construction is what it has allowed to countries like India, Brazil, Argentina and Korea South del to have a high degree of autonomy to create his own satellites and thus to begin to help to other countries in the same task.

Martinez adds in addition who does not exist very good precedents in Chile in this matter: "the satelite experience of the FACh with the Fasat Alpha and Bravo did not mean a technological advance for the country, and the group of Officials and Engineers of Aeronautics that was in England by a pair of years dissolved and the tracking station does not work", remembers the expert.

Another subject by which Ministry of Defense has been questioned, talks about the little participation of the scientific and academic world in the decision of what it is going to do with the transponder. Patricio Hales, in a television program, indicated that possibly the satellite can be a very good purchase, but that the absence of more specialists was strange. "one has said that the satellite will have a dual use, that is to say, that also will be used with civil and scientific aims. If that is thus, it calls the attention to me that the participation of the academic and scientific community is zero at the time of deciding on that purchase ", indicated the deputy.

Few scientists And, apparently, one of the great absentees is the Space Training center of the University of Chile, that from 1959 is one of the authorities as far as space matter. This organization located in Peldehue not only has a vast experience in ground support (pursuit, command control and telemetry) to hundreds of space missions, but also it has the capacity of processing and application of the data type that will catch the satellite that is tried to acquire. On the matter, the president of Amsat-CE shows his surprise before the decision to leave it go to this university organization: "we are speaking of a national being active and related to the most important space agencies of the world.

If in the implementation of the project "Aurora" takes advantage of neither the existing infrastructure in this center nor the experience its experts, exists base to think that a management is not becoming effective and efficient ", it sentences.

In fact, aside from the purchase, the government would have to invest around 7 million dollars to construct in the Eighth Region a complex that will contain the tracking station and the laboratories of processing of the photographies.

On the matter, Martinez becomes the following question: "Why not to use the infrastructure of the Space Training center". As far as holding EADS, that among other things commercialize helicopters NH-90 by means of the Eurocopter company and constructed part of the famous Galileo satellite, its owners they are mainly French and German and in a small proportion Spanish. Also they have the company MBDA that makes the missiles antiship Exocet SM-39, bought recently time by the Chilean Navy, among other acquired products previously.

EADS is owner of a part of Airbus, with LAN Chile like one of their better clients of Latin America. Nevertheless, this partnership strongly has been questioned, because it leaves from his partners are involved in the payment of bribes to French politicians and Taiwanese authorities, to obtain the construction of several frigates in the ' 90. In order to become one better idea of which EADS could offer us, it is enough with visiting his page Web: www.eads.cl.

Alternative or Complement?

While the scientific, military community, the government and the universities discuss the subject, a private company will present/display to the Ministry of Defense in the next weeks a project to implement a technology that consists of equipment similar to the satellites, but with a reach and smaller height, denominated Haps (High Altitude Plataform Station).

These airships are designed by ex- engineers of the NASA in the United States and allow to expand, to increase or to replace present systems of wireless digital communications, among other multiple benefits. Esteem that its cost is at least a 100% minor who a satellite. In Chile, already a pilot implemented itself who is located to 500 meters of height and another one of 21 kilometers is being developed, that it would complement to the satelite technology.