Climbing the Space Technology Ladder in the South: the Case of Argentina

Abstract

The satellite industry is one of the few high-tech sectors where Argentina has generated its own innovation capabilities. This is the result of a process initiated more than 25 years ago in the realm of civilian space exploration, which in turn was possible because of the previous accumulation of knowledge and capabilities in military space projects as well as in another high-tech activity, the nuclear industry. Along these years, the country has been able to design and put into orbit observation and telecommunication satellites rapidly climbing the Space Technology Ladder (STL). This article analyzes this evolutionary trajectory, highlighting the key technological milestones, the role played by the main actors of the space sector, the linkages among them as well as with foreign partners, and the prospects of this activity in a developing country like Argentina.