The Spanish space agency will be created in 2023 with headquarters outside of Madrid

by time news

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Thursday that the Executive will approve, in the next Council of Ministers, the creation of the Space Council, an interministerial group that will aim to “accelerate” the work for the creation of the spanish space agencywith the aim that it be operational “at the beginning of 2023” and has confirmed that its headquarters will not be in Madrid.

He did so during his speech at an event at the INTA-NASA Training and Visitors Center in Robledo de Chavela (Madrid), where the socialist leader has presented the details of the aerospace PERTE that the Executive approved last March.

In his speech, Sánchez has valued the aeronautical and space sector for “ensure the well-being of current generations and the fact that, “for some years now, the domain of space” has been a “geostrategic issue for the great nations of the planet” because, as he has indicated, it is there where “areas such as telecommunications, transport, security or the defense.

Deconcentration of organisms

As indicated, “Spain will not be left behind” in this aspect and, for this reason, the creation of a Spanish space agency was announced a year ago to “assume leadership and competences” in the space field.

Now, the Space Council that the Government is going to approve next week will have the “specific mandate” from the Executive to accelerate the start-up of this body which, as has been confirmed and as had already been advanced, will not have its headquarters in Madrid following the plan “deconcentration of organisms” of the government.

The Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, had already advanced these extremes during her speech at the Europa Press Informative Breakfasts on January 31 when she indicated that the agency would be operational in 2023 and that it is within the bodies of the process of decentralization of venues contemplated by the Executive. “We have to understand that Spain does not end in Madrid and science is widely distributed in our country,” he anticipated.

In any case, just yesterday, the Minister for Territorial Policy and Government spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, responded in Congress to a question from Teruel exists in which he committed himself with all the territories interested in hosting the Spanish Space Agency to work “in an equitable manner”. “We are going to evaluate all the candidates in an equitable manner so that the one that meets the best conditions to host this Space Agency is the one in which it will be located,” he assured.

Robledo de Chavela wants the headquarters

Precisely this week the Madrid municipality of Robledo de Chavela has approved to present itself to house the physical headquarters of the Agency. In this sense, the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has accused the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, of wanting “decapitalize Madrid” after confirming that the Spanish Space Agency will not be in the region.

On the other hand, during his speech, Sánchez explained that this agency, among other things, will strengthen the “social and territorial cohesion” of the country. In addition, its decentralization, as he has pointed out, seeks to create opportunities.

Commissioner for PERTE

But this has not been the only measure that the head of the Executive has announced in this act that will be approved in the next Council of Ministers. Sánchez explained that, for the start-up of the aerospace PERTE, a commissioner will be set up to coordinate the process and public-private collaboration and whose leadership will fall on Miguel BelloCEO of Air Center.

Bello, of whom Sánchez has highlighted his training and his “deterrent capacity”, In his speech at the event, he highlighted the need to “generate talent”, the importance of public-private “collaboration” in the sector, as well as the involvement of all the institutions, in the implementation of this initiative which, according to has pointed out, it will be key for sectors such as agriculture, the environment, communications or security, in addition to generating wealth.

In reference to the aerospace PERTE, the President of the Government, highlighting the “mobilization” of funds that it will entail and that move around the €4.5 billion until 2025 and that will affect seven ministries.

In the same way, he has indicated that this initiative is going to be articulated in three pillars. The first, as he has specified, is the aeronautical sector with 323 million destined to transform the industry towards zero emission systems; develop multipurpose aircraft demonstrators and unmanned aircraft; and advance in modernization of air traffic control and the so-called single European sky.

The second pillar is the space pillar, which will have some 1.48 billion that will be used to improve those areas of the sector that are useful for environmental and climate control and for communication and security systems; as well as to position the sector on the European map of the commercial use of space. Finally, Sánchez pointed out that the third pillar, which will have 390 million, will be based on education, training and the strengthening of the innovation ecosystem.

Collaboration with Portugal

“Despite all the adversities, I believe that we are a reference in Europe in the implementation of recovery plans,” said the president, who also highlighted the collaboration that, within this PERTE, is carried out with Portugal. “Spain and Portugal have gone hand in hand Once again, we have shown Iberian strength and unity and momentum because when we work together we are obviously much stronger”, he declared.

In this regard, he recalled the agreement reached to establish a cap on the price of gas or the Atlantic constellation formed by 16 satellites to observe and control coasts and forests.

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The Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Government of the Portuguese country, Elvira Fortunato, has highlighted that this cooperation between states is based on what “unites” them such as the “fight against climate change”, the “commitment to neutrality of carbon” or the commitment to “renewables“. In his opinion, this is a “unique opportunity”.

Her counterpart in Spain, Diana Morant, for her part, has pointed to the aerospace sector as “strategic“, recalling that its achievements also have an impact on the lives of citizens in terms of communications, security o mobility. In addition, he recalled that the country is the fourth that contributes the most funds to the European Space Agency (ESA) and that these have a return, promoting the establishment of companies y scientists in the country to undertake projects of this organization.

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