At the SpaceLab of the Paraguay Space Agency (Aep), located on the campus of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (Una), a ceremony took place to celebrate the completion of the engineering model of the Guaranisat-2 nanosatellite developed by the Aep, which is scheduled for orbital launch in October 2025. The project represents a significant step for Paraguay in the field of space technology and is the result of an international collaboration involving, in addition to Italy, Japan, Mexico and the United States, as well as academic and industrial institutions. Guest and testimonial of the event: astronaut Roberto Vittori, accompanied by Italian Ambassador to Paraguay Marcello Fondi.
The Guaranisat-2, with a mass of around 3.5 kg, will be used for scientific experiments and Earth observation applications, particularly in the fields of agriculture, environmental monitoring and risk management, contributing to Paraguay's sustainable development goals. The project is supported by the Politecnico di Bari and the Italian start-up Astradyne s.r.l., specialised in deployable solar panels, which will power the satellite in orbit.
The ceremony was attended, for the Paraguay Space Agency, by Minister/President Osvaldo Almirón, Director General for Legal and International Affairs Hebe Romero, Director General for Project Execution and Development Alejandro Román, and Director General for Planning and Management Adolfo Jara. For the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) the Chief Representative in Paraguay Chika Takahatake, the Coordinator for Technical and Financial Cooperation Takemori Kumiko and the Deputy Director of the same area Miguel Hirai were present. The Universidad Nacional de Asunción was represented by the Director of the Multidisciplinary Centre for Technological Research Gustavo Brozón.
Space cooperation between Italy and Paraguay will soon be consolidated by a broader collaboration agreement, with the hope that the Guaranisat-2 mission will also count on Italian financial support for the satellite's launch activities. The agreement is part of the initiatives to celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Paraguay.
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