The University Space Program (PEU), of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), announced the beginning of the Ixaya Mission, consisting of the construction and eventual launch into orbit of a nanosatellite of completely national manufacture, specifically university, dedicated, in principle, to the prevention and management of forest fires in the country.
The event took place in the National Biodiversity Pavilion, located in the University Cultural Center, and also served to launch a public fundraising campaign to finance this space project, the cost of which, it was reported, is 13 million pesos, around 775 thousand dollars.
The coordinator of the PEU, the physicist José Francisco Valdés Galicia, highlighted that this university initiative represents not only the development of Mexico’s own space technology, but also the potential savings for the country of at least 2 billion dollars a year, which is what He assured that foreign bodies are paid for the purchase of satellite services, particularly images.
He explained that this mission – whose name, Ixaya, is a word in the Nahuatl language that means “open your eyes” – consists of the development of a CubeSat-type nanosatellite with three units or modules, with a total dimension of 30 centimeters and a weight of three kilograms, which once placed in orbit will allow images to be obtained that could be used in public actions and policies regarding civil, environmental and urban protection.
He clarified that “there are satellite images of many things and problems of many types”, from meteorological to forest fires, the latter being the one that the mission decided to focus on after finding that in the course of 2023 alone there have been 6,675. of these events in the 32 entities of the country, which have devastated 815,746 hectares of forests.
“We have current systems that monitor fires, but none that provide a good enough resolution and response to the situation, that can catch the fires when they are starting; We do not have satellite technology, we spend more than 2 billion dollars a year purchasing satellite services in this country,” said the researcher.
“If we take these images from space, they give us another perspective; We could notify the authorities in time, and that gives the possibility of creating early warning systems. Here there is relevant data where Mexico could be its generator and owner. “We are developing a new technology that would have consequences for the space sector of our country.”
Valdés Galicia clarified that this “is not a final project”, but that it seeks to demonstrate the viability of this technology and the ability to generate its own remote sensing nanosatellites, from which a technological development in the satellite area would be established. based on the specific needs of the country.
He stressed that although the extra benefits of this initiative are many, they decided to choose two: “monitoring the presence or absence of vegetation, whether it is growing or decreasing, and also the growth of cities, since we have many in Mexico that do so. they do very irregularly. “This would be a little more long-term.”
The researcher highlighted that one of the technological innovations of the Ixaya Mission will be the incorporation of special cameras – capable of obtaining images in the red, green and blue, and infrared bands – that have not been used before in low orbit satellites or CubeSats. ; The one from UNAM, he detailed, will be placed at an altitude of between 500 and 600 kilometers.
Several instances of the national university participate in this project, such as the Institutes of Geophysics, Astronomy and Geography, as well as the national laboratories of Earth Observation and Space and Automotive Engineering, among others.
For its development, various national public institutions were consulted, such as the Institutes of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change, Inegi, Cenapred and the Secretariats of the Environment and Education, Science and Technology of Mexico City.
“(Satellite) images are one of the main sources of foreign currency outflow from the country and of using a technology that is not yet developed,” added the specialist, who specified that this is a 36-month project and that its conceptual design Not only is it finished, but it was reviewed by international experts who gave their approval.
After emphasizing the benefits and usefulness of this mission, the director of the PEU invited society, institutions and companies in the country to join “this adventure of knowledge and technology,” for which a campaign of fundraising. Contributions can be made through direct donations and also by purchasing a series of promotional items on the UNAM Store page. More information via email [email protected].
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