A New Kid on the Block: ALCE - Latin America's Space Agency

Mexico and Guatemala seen from Volcan Tajumulco by Carlos Moreira (2017)

A new era for space exploration is coming. Government officials from Mexico and Argentina announced in October 2020 the creation of the Latin America and Caribbean Space Agency “ALCE”. Once inaugurated, its only counterpart will be the European Space Agency, founded in 1975. This is the first regional-scale effort to unify more than 12 agencies, in a continent that spans both hemispheres, seen in the 21st century.

The possibility that this agency changes space dynamics is quite high. Since it will emerge in a context of global cooperation, ALCE would have unprecedented access to space data and technology. That the Argentine and Mexican foreign ministers are leading the effort signals that it will likely follow the Latin American tradition of mediation diplomacy, thus achieving a fundamental place on the global stage. However, the urgent question to answer is whether the project and its goals are achievable in the short and long term.

The immediate concern with ALCE is that these massive projects extend beyond the electoral cycles of the current heads of state. If results cannot be expected during their governing periods, it is likely that resources could be held until a new administration comes in. Another issue is the funds' appropriation and how it relates to the public interest. The amount of money needed for serious space activities is an average of 5.5 million dollars per year. While countries such as Brazil and Peru can budget for these expenses, smaller nations would have to reduce funding for other areas and this is not likely to occur in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ALCE could also be disserved by colliding national interests. For instance, space is a growing priority for the United States, Europe, China, and Russia because it is not only a matter of geopolitics but of profit-making. NASA reported in 2014 that for every dollar spent by the government in its research and development projects between $7 and $14 have entered the American economy as new revenue. Latin America is currently divided among left and right politicians, which explains why Mexico and Argentina got together in the first place, and why right-leaning countries like Brazil have been kept at the margins of the agreement. If institutions don´t prevail over ideologies, ALCE would end before it even started.

We have seen what could stop the current Latin American effort in its tracks; however, it remains to be seen what it would mean to have ALCE fully operational in the near future. One of the main challenges in the region is the connectivity and access to technology. Project coordinators have expressed the region´s interest in positioning a series of satellites to enable full internet coverage from the Sonora Desert in Northern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego in Southern Chile. This also demonstrates how space initiatives can provide a freer and more equal world. Connecting the continent would close the gap between countries like Colombia and Honduras, each with 65% and 31% of population connectivity, respectively. A unified continent will allow for a more space-prone population who understands and values the potential of an agency such as ALCE.

Another positive outcome would be that related to the private sphere. The key benefit of being a region of emerging economies is the potential for high growth. With this in mind, ALCE´s announcement answers the long-time Latin American space entrepreneurs' request for more public funding and procurements. Dereum Labs, based in Mexico City, seeks to lead one of the first commercial missions to the Moon. Instarz, based in Puerto Rico, is the first Latin American company to develop space habitats for sustainable human colonies in the Solar System. Satellogic, based in Uruguay and Argentina, is building an observation platform to remap with extreme detail the Earth´s surface. There is an expanding set of ventures that seek to position Latin America in the space market and they see in ALCE the possibility of finally achieving it.

So Latin America is set forth to become the new kid on the block for it will bring fresh minds and more resources to the global efforts to explore space. However, it still needs to prove itself by successfully executing a major international effort that the region hasn´t seen since the time of independence from Spain and Portugal. If it fails or is delayed, there will still be many opportunities to join the ranks of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs´ top agencies. If it triumphs though, a significant shift in the distribution of space power will be seen and felt soon, and hopefully, we will be a step closer to future interplanetary civilization. 

Juan Pablo Espinosa is a freshman at Georgetown College who plans to study Political Economy and History. He is interested in public-private relations for space policy and the discovery of new galaxies, as well as the efforts to map the Earth and counteract the effects of climate change.