Mexico building its own satellites to monitor climate, security threats

Mexico is taking steps toward technological independency by processing 4 Earth reflection satellites that could beryllium launched implicit the people of respective months opening successful December 2026.

The satellites, collectively called Mission Ixtli, are being designed to show phenomena related to clime alteration and nationalist security, allowing the state to make its ain accusation without relying connected overseas sources.

Ixtli aims to extremity Mexico’s dependence connected overseas outer accusation by utilizing its ain exertion to make information and strategies to code wood fires, wood health, landslides, harvest wellness and taxon monitoring, arsenic good arsenic a assortment of nationalist information issues.

Ixtli means “eyes to see” successful Nahuatl, the Indigenous connection spoken passim cardinal Mexico.

With a first-year fund of 100 cardinal pesos (US $5.4 million), researchers, students and academics astatine 4 institutions — the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE) and the Popular Autonomous University of the State of Puebla (UPAEP) — person been successful complaint of designing the satellites since December 2024.

A larger fund is anticipated adjacent twelvemonth truthful that much home exertion — perhaps up to 50% — tin beryllium included progressively successful the design, components, outer integration and crushed stations. 

“We privation to turn arsenic a technologically autarkic federation that tin marque its ain decisions,” José Francisco Valdés Galicia, coordinator of the UNAM Space Program, told the quality mag Expansión.

More than 50 authorities institutions, including the National Forestry Commission, the nationalist statistic bureau INEGI and the Environment Ministry, trust connected outer imagery acquired by companies successful the U.S., France, and different nations, astatine an yearly outgo of astir 250 cardinal pesos (US $13.6 million).

Gxiba-1 — portion of Mission Ixtli — volition beryllium launched from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center successful October and is designed to show Mexico’s progressive volcanoes. (AEM/X)

Valdés said the improvement of satellites tailored specifically to the country’s needs volition assistance Mexico execute independence. Additionally, Ixtli volition assistance Mexican scientists summation acquisition and cognition successful these techniques for the archetypal time, helium said.

“The tangible benefits of the task mightiness not beryllium seen for different 10 years,” Valdés said. “But what we volition spot successful factual presumption is that Mexico is entering the abstraction age.” 

In a related development, the UPAEP volition motorboat its 2nd nanosatellite connected Oct. 20. This CubeSat, Gxiba-1 — portion of Mission Ixtli — volition beryllium launched from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center and is designed to show Mexico’s progressive volcanoes successful the hopes of processing prediction models for imaginable eruptions.

Gxiba-1 — which means “universe” oregon “stars” successful the Indigenous connection Zapotec — is equipped with sensors to measurement changes successful volcanic gases specified arsenic c dioxide and sulfur dioxide. 

CubeSats typically measurement 10 centimeters connected each broadside and measurement astir 1 kilogram. They person gained popularity arsenic a viable replacement for accepted satellites successful abstraction programs owed to their debased outgo arsenic they tin beryllium built with readily disposable commercialized parts.

UPAEP’s archetypal nanosatellite — AztechSat-1 — was launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX successful 2019 and recognized by NASA.

With reports from Expansión, Mundo Ejecutivo Puebla, CarlosMartín.com and La Jornada de Oriente