Argentina's Macri mulls sale of ARSAT 3 to top satellite service provider Hughes
Last edited Wed Jul 19, 2017, 11:19 PM - Edit history (1)
Argentine President Mauricio Macri announced on Monday that a letter of intent had been signed with Maryland-based Hughes Network Systems for the construction and operation of the ARSAT 3 satellite.
The broadband communications satellite was originally commissioned in 2015 and had been awarded to Argentine state-owned satellite developer INVAP - but the project was suspended last year by a Macri decree.
This new agreement would instead use ARSAT 3 for a joint venture with Hughes, and grant it 51% ownership of the unit.
The letter of intent has been denounced by opposition lawmakers as illegal.
Guillermo Rus, former vice president of ARSAT, said that the agreement "lacks legality" because it violates Article 10 in the 2015 Satellite Sovereignty Law that forbids the privatization of any of its satellites - except through congressional approval.
Critics noted that the agreement would also jeopardize INVAP - which has already launched two satellites (ARSAT 1 in 2014, and ARSAT 2 in 2015), and is considered by NASA to be "the clear leader in satellite design and manufacturing in Latin America."
Technological sovereignty
Former University of Buenos Aires Exact Sciences Dean Jorge Aliaga believes the initiative surrenders Argentina's "technological sovereignty" over its satellites - in particular the Ka band essential for improving access to broadband internet service.
He also warned it would effectively cede control of the ARSAT program as well as sensitive information to Hughes - the CIA's top spy satellite contractor as early as the 1970s.
The coincidence has stoked suspicion among Macri's opponents. His administration has been criticized even by allies for its use of warrantless surveillance against the media and political rivals - particularly former President Cristina Kirchner, whose private calls are routinely collected and leaked by Macri's state intelligence.
Buyers and viability
Macri administration officials deny that ARSAT is being privatized. Its director, Rodrigo de Loredo, noted that its two existing satellites, the fiber optic network, the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV) infrastructure, the data center, and the rest of the company's assets will remain public - at least for now.
"We believe our satellite program cannot continue to be 100% financed by Argentine taxpayers," de Loredo said, adding that private investment would add to ARSAT 3's viability.
Dr. Aliaga rejected that argument.
"It is a lie that ARSAT generates an expense to the State," he explained. "The Satellite Law stipulates they must be self-financed. Its costs are more than compensated by its data and communication service sales, and INVAP and its network of suppliers depend on it."
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pagina12.com.ar%2F50857-en-el-arsat-3-flameara-una-bandera-extranjera