ASIM, May 13
With the participation of delegations from 67 countries, the IV Artemis Agreements Workshop was inaugurated, a historic event that consolidates Peru’s leadership in the governance and peaceful exploration of outer space in Latin America.
The meeting, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA), with the support of NASA and the U.S. Department of State, seeks to affirm the principles of international cooperation, within the framework of the new era of space exploration underway.
The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Félix Denegri Boza; the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Bernie Navarro; the Director General of Sovereignty, Limits and Antarctic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Librado Orozco; the Director General of the General Directorate of America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Roberto Rodríguez; and the Institutional Head of CONIDA, General Roberto Melgar.
In his speech, Deputy Foreign Minister Denegri stressed that the Artemis Agreements are essential to ensure transparency, interoperability, mutual assistance and preservation of the space environment for future generations, within the framework of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), in line with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
“Peru looks to space, in addition to scientific research, for the tangible applications in our agriculture, the fight against deforestation, security and disaster risk management,” said the deputy minister, stressing that this vision is strengthened taking into account the boost that Peru has given to space policy since the launch of the PeruSAT-1 satellite into orbit in 2016.
He also highlighted the millenary connection of our country with the cosmos, highlighting the Chankillo solar observatory, (the oldest in America) located on the central coast of Peru, and the legacy of Pedro Paulet, pioneer of the space age and outstanding Peruvian diplomat.
For his part, the institutional head of CONIDA, General Roberto Melgar, presented the Peruvian proposal for the implementation of a decentralized system for the exchange of data from space missions. “This commitment has to do with the future of space activity and will require greater articulation between diplomacy, science and technology,” he emphasized.
In turn, the Ambassador of the United States, Bernie Navarro, thanked Peru for being the first country in Latin America to host this event and highlighted the bilateral cooperation in the matter. He also announced that his country has been configuring a series of actions to enhance space cooperation with our country. In this sense, he said, the experience of Fulbright scholars and technicians from the United States and Peru will be used to identify opportunities for both countries.
Navarro recalled milestones in the bilateral relationship in the space field, such as the sounding rocket campaigns in Punta Lobos in 1975 and the inspiring figure of Carlos Noriega, the first astronaut born in Peru.
