By John Caicedo | 2024-11-14

LIMA -- Peru is set to host Latin America's largest space base, an initiative still in the planning stages that will involve potential collaboration with US Space Command.

The previously small El Pato base of the Peruvian air force (FAP), located in the desert, oil-rich region of Piura in northern Peru, is set to transform into a major launch platform for orbital and suborbital rocket flights.

The project remains in preliminary stages, with an official launch date yet to be determined.

The project "is progressing very quickly" and is expected to enable Peru to "launch its first vehicle into space" within three to five years, FAP Commander Gen. Carlos Chávez said, as reported by Radio Programas del Perú on November 13.

Chávez added an extensive evaluation was conducted alongside US personnel that concluded that the El Pato air base near Talara is the ideal location for the spaceport.

"The Talara base is just four degrees south of the equator, providing us with a major advantage for establishing and expanding a launch station for space and suborbital vehicles," he told TV Perú.

"We have land very close to the equator… and ideal conditions, including high altitude, which has attracted significant interest from the US Space Command to consider us as a potential launch platform for space vehicles," said FAP Gen. José García earlier this year in an interview with the state-run Peruvian news agency Andina.

Currently, Peru's Agency for the Promotion of Private Investment has invited interested parties to submit proposals for the planning and execution of the project. The government plans to run the initiative as a public-private partnership to encourage investment in Peru.

Initial investment estimates to upgrade the El Pato base run about 1 billion PEN (more than $270 million), though total costs could reach up to three times this amount by the start of operations.

A key driver of development

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has proposed a concession for the base of operations for a specified period, potentially 20 years, Peruvian press reports from late October suggest.

However, no official confirmation has come.

El Pato, situated at coordinates 4° 32' 59" S and 81° 13' 26" W in Talara, Piura, is approximately 1,100km north of Lima, near the border with Ecuador.

Situated close to the Pacific Ocean, it benefits from nearby infrastructure, including an international airport and the country's third largest seaport, giving it a competitive edge over other potential locations in the Peruvian departments of Arequipa and Lambayeque.

The location's proximity to the equator is also a plus.

Launching rockets from closer to the equator is advantageous because the rotational speed of the Earth is greatest at the equator, providing an initial speed boost and enabling rockets to achieve the necessary orbital speed more efficiently.

The space base will be a key driver of development for Piura, one of Peru's largest departments, and for the country as a whole, Lima says.

A base so near the equator could spur significant advances in future international transportation systems, as reported by Bio Bio.

The spaceport would also serve as a hub for suborbital flights, potentially reducing travel times -- such as a trip from Piura to Beijing -- from over a day to just two hours. Additionally, the base could play a role in space tourism, offering flights from the site in the future.

Currently 53 space launch stations operate worldwide, with only two in South America: Punta Indio in Argentina and Kourou in French Guiana, the latter operated by the European Space Agency and the launch site for Ariane and Vega rockets.

However, the El Pato base is set to be larger and more advanced.

Following the completion of bureaucratic procedures and the selection of a company to oversee the project, the installation of essential infrastructure at El Pato will begin. It includes launch and landing platforms, transport conveyors, gas escape tunnels, hangars and takeoff and taxiing runways, among other facilities.

However, no timeline for the project has been disclosed.

Other projects

While plans for the large base are still being prepared, Peru is working with NASA on a shorter-term project: the launch of rockets for scientific research, scheduled for 2028.

A NASA mission visited Peru in April to finalize details for rocket launches, Roberto Melgar, director of the National Commission for Aerospace Research and Development (Conida), which oversees the sector's policies in Peru, told Andina on April 5.

These launches are set to take place from Pucusana, a district on the outskirts of Lima.

Additionally, next year, Peru plans to launch the Paulet sounding rocket for research purposes, with an expected altitude of 40km -- 30km higher than its first flight in 2021.

Peru's interest in space research grew significantly following the success of its Perusat 1 satellite, launched in 2016, Melgar said.

Since then, it has delivered almost 120,000 optical images, both metric and submetric, "contributing to the country's socioeconomic development and national security."