UNAM, AEM and NASA Refine AztechSat Project

The Mexican Space Agency (AEM), a decentralized agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), announced that the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reached an agreement to develop the "AztechSat Constellation" project, which was announced on Aug. 31, 2022.

"A reason for great pride and satisfaction, that the nation's university participates in this visionary project, laying the foundation for more powerful projects towards space exploration,” said Salvador Landeros Ayala, General Director, AEM, via a SICT press release.

Under the conditions of the agreement, UNAM will develop one satellite of the AztechSat Constellation Project, explained Landeros. The project represents an opportunity for UNAM’s students, researchers, scientists and professors to get involved in a world-class project, which will enhance collaboration within the international community. 

UNAM will work with commercial hardware and free software to develop the project, while generating databases for monitoring and protecting marine species, explained José Francisco Valdés, Coordinator of the University Space Program, UNAM. All the technology developed during this project will be accessible to government, academic and civil society organizations once completed. 

“AztechSat Constellation is a complex project that will require the effort, talent and creativity of many people, for which we recognize the commitment of the UNAM authorities to promote and support scientific and technological research of excellence in order to consolidate the development of Mexico, and contribute to the sustainable progress of humanity,” said Carlos Duarte Muñoz, General Coordinator of Human Capital Training, AEM.

The university constantly contributes and supports space development in Mexico, explained José de Jesús González, Director of the Institute of Astronomy, UNAM. He added that the university will continue to participate in the design, development and management of space projects. UNAM’s institutes of astronomy, geophysics, geography, and the Faculty of Engineering will also participate in the AztechSat project.