South American space era

Abstract

This paper address the past and current efforts of the South American region in the space area. The space activities in the region date back to 1967, and since then South American countries have achieved a relative modest capability through their national programs and sometimes international collaboration, with the space activities in the region led primarily by the Brazilian and Argentinian space programs. In an era where missions explore the solar system and beyond, this paper focus on the participation of a region that is still at the early stages of its space technology development, but has considerable amount to offer in terms of material, specialized personal, launch sites and energy. In summary, this work presents a historical review of the main achievements in the South American region, and by analyzing past and present efforts, it aims to project a trend for the future of space in South America. The paper also contests current efforts of regional integration such as the South American Space Agency proposal.