Mexico, Uruguay Launch Satellite Infrastructure Alliance

Mexico will work with Uruguay to boost satellite infrastructure and promote solutions to tackle climate change, as both countries join efforts to work on tackling the most challenging aspects of the problem. 

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), through the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), announced the development of satellite platforms to implement a monitoring solution for climate change in forest and agricultural areas. Mexico also confirmed an alliance with Uruguay that will bring the support of scientists and engineers from the South American country.  

“By virtue of the international will of the Government of Mexico to reduce GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions, this national satellite infrastructure project will be promoted for this purpose, since of the 52 variables to measure and mitigate Climate Change, half can only be measured precisely from space,” said Salvador Landeros Ayala, General Director, AEM, via a press release by the SHCP. 

The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), which will also participate in the project, explained that GHG emissions will bring major issues for Mexico in the second half of the century, potentially causing an average loss of nearly 5 percent of the country’s yearly GDP.

“For this reason, the work of the Joint Mexico-Uruguay Cooperation Fund (AMEXCID-Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation) was established for this project, in collaboration with AEM, UNAM and the University of the Republic (Udelar) of that country and whose resources will be managed by the UN Development Program’s (UNDP) headquarters in Montevideo, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the UN,” explained the SHCP. 

The project will also allow the founding of the space agency of Uruguay, which will enhance collaboration between both countries, explained Raúl Álvarez, General Director of Project Operations in Mexico, AMEXCID.