The Argentinian National Space Activities Commission (CONAE) became the 13th UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office by signing a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). CONAE’s work as a Regional Support Office for UN-SPIDER includes promoting the development and strengthening of national capacities in Latin American and Caribbean countries, providing horizontal cooperation and technical assistance to the countries and organizations involved in disaster prevention and mitigation.
The Mario Gulich Institute for Advanced Space Studies offers a 2-year master's course on "Space Applications for Early Warning and Response to Emergencies", open to Latin American participants. More information about the course is available at http://www.conae.gov.ar/prensa/IG.pdf.
CONAE organizes local and regional training activities and workshops on a regular basis, related to all the remote sensing applications indicated above. Information on these events is available on the UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal.
Remote Sensing applications related to:
- Emergency Management
- Human Health
- Environmental and Natural Resources Monitoring
- Socio-Economic Activities Monitoring
- Climate, Hydrology and Oceanography
- Cartography, geology and mining production
- Territorial, urban and regional planning
Training activities in the region:
CONAE has organized several capacity building activities in the country and the region, related to all the remote sensing applications indicated above.
Long-term educational project on space information for young students (2MP):
Aimed at introducing space information and its applications in the elementary and high school curricula. (https://2mp.conae.gov.ar)
CONAE Córdoba Ground Station:
The Córdoba Ground Station has been operating since 1997 and maintains a record of historical optical and SAR satellite data from the region. For more information please visit: http://catalogos.conae.gov.ar/catalogo/catalogos.html.
CONAE ("Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales"), is the national space agency of Argentina and has a mandate to design, manage and execute space-related projects and activities for peaceful purposes, under the scope of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship.
CONAE's actions and projects are developed according to the National Space Programme, which is periodically updated and extended to ensure that it suits the socioeconomic and productive requirements of the country. The 2004-2015 issue of the Programme is in force and currently a new revision of it is being developed for the period 2013-2024.
Argentina's Space Programme includes three satellite series: SAC, SAOCOM and SARE. Since its creation CONAE has placed four satellites in orbit: SAC-A, SAC-B, SAC-C and SAC-D/Aquarius.
SAC-D/Aquarius, launched on 10 June 2011, is an observatory for ocean, climate and environmental monitoring. The mission's primary goal is to estimate sea-surface salinity and also several oceanic, atmospheric and land geophysical parameters. The satellite is equipped with eight instruments, including contributions from NASA/JPL, ASI, CNES and CSA. The SAOCOM 1A spacecraft is currently under construction and also SAOCOM 1B. SAC-E/SABIAMAR and SARE satellites are foreseen to be developed in the next few years. All CONAE´s missions are operated from the Agency´s Space Center in the province of Córdoba. The Space Center is also home to the Mario Gulich Institute for Advanced Space Studies.
