Towards the end of 2024, Argentina plans to launch a new satellite called SABIA-Mar, aimed at studying the sea and the coasts of Argentina and South America. Developed by the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) together with other institutions and companies of the national scientific and technological system, it will provide valuable information for the scientific and productive field. SABIA-Mar will focus on the study of the seas globally, although it will specialize in the coastal regions of Argentina and South America up to 650 kilometers offshore. Its main objective will be to provide information for the study of the primary productivity of the sea, marine ecosystems, the carbon cycle, the management of fishing resources, the dynamics and the quality of water in coasts and estuaries.
“It is the next CONAE Earth observation satellite”, indicates Raúl Kulichevsky, executive and technical director of the space agency. In addition, he stresses that the mission will be part of Pampa Azul, an initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to promote scientific knowledge, technological development and productive innovation in the South Atlantic. In this sense, “S.ABIA-Mar will generate very important data for different organizations and institutions linked to this initiative. In addition, it will value the scientific work associated with the Argentine Sea”, he points out.
SABIA-Mar will be the sixth mission, within the framework of the National Space Plan, after successfully carrying out the series of four SAC scientific applications satellites (SAC-A, SAC-B, SAC-C and SAC-D/Aquarius) and the SAOCOM 1 mission, completed in 2020, consisting of two satellites equipped with radar technology that continue to operate.
Heating up motors
Currently, CONAE is advancing in the integration and tests of the functional engineering model of the satellite, as well as in the development of mission products and adaptation equipment for existing ground stations, in charge of communication to and from the satellite. .
Besides, From April 24 to 28, the Mission Critical Design Review (MCDR) will be held at the Teófilo Tabanera Space Center owned by CONAE in the province of Córdoba, which consists of a multidisciplinary technical analysis to consolidate the design and verify that the established requirements can be met to guarantee its success. The meeting will be attended by 80 CONAE representatives, suppliers and expert reviewers from international institutions such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the Brazilian Space Agency ( AEB) and the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
“The MCDR review is one of the most important milestones in any satellite mission, where the design is analyzed to begin manufacturing, although in this case we have already advanced with some stages,” he says. Martin Alvarez, project manager of the SABIA-Mar Mission. “For this instance, we summon external reviewers, who evaluate the work we have done so far, and at the same time offer suggestions, corrections or warnings for the future of the project”, he adds.
According to Kulichesvky, “the approval of this milestone means advancing to the next stage of the project, having the necessary guarantees to start manufacturing the flight components, once all the designs have been adequately reviewed and approved by theoretical tests and analysis, and with the endorsement of international experts in the area”.
color of the sea
Álvarez points out that, unlike other satellites belonging to other international space agencies, SABIA-Mar will focus on Argentina and South America. “Its instruments will allow monitoring the Argentine and South American coasts with a very good spatial resolution of 200 meters, generating unique information that does not exist today on the Argentine Sea.”, he highlights.
The satellite will carry two main instruments on board: the VIS-NIR and NIR-SWIR cameras, sensitive to the visible and infrared light ranges, developed by INVAP together with CONAE with the aim of measuring the color of the sea (or emerging radiance of the sea surface). “With these cameras we will evaluate the trophic chain in the Argentine Sea and measure aspects related to its productivity, in relation to aquaculture and fishing, among others,” says Álvarez.
“Its main applications are to monitor productivity by studying the color of the sea, which is related to the composition of the water under parameters that include, for example, the concentration of Chlorophyll-a, the most abundant pigment possessed by algae in the ocean. This variable is related to the phytoplankton content, the first link in the food chain of the sea, so it is a direct indicator of the presence and distribution of fish,” he details. Caroline Taurus, principal investigator of the SABIA-Mar Mission. These aspects contribute to estimating models of primary productivity in the ocean and provide data that is used in research related to climate change.
technological sovereignty
The new Argentine mission is developed by the national space agency together with public institutions and companies from the scientific and technological system. Technological companies stand out among these institutions. INVAP and VENG, the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), the Argentine Institute of Radio Astronomy (IAR), the National University of La Plata (UNLP), IMER and Ascentio.
For Daniel Filmus, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, the SABIA-Mar mission constitutes an enormous technological challenge. “For this reason, we need to work together with multiple actors in the Argentine scientific and technological system, private companies, universities and public institutions to have more and more technological space sovereignty in our country,” he affirms.
“This satellite will generate knowledge about the marine ecosystem, which has great wealth and a vast area, and which is still very little studied. A better understanding of this environment will help us make a more sustainable use of resources and exercise sovereignty over the wealth of our territory”, highlights Tauro.