Sebastián Pérez González (Madrid, 1946) is an aeronautical engineer and for fifteen years he was regional director of Air Navigation of the Canary Islands. He is part of the Canary Islands Air Transport Observatory, of the Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country of Gran Canaria and he is clear that the main thing is that the Space Agency stays in the Archipelago; it matters less on which island because they will all benefit.
Why should the Canary Islands be the headquarters of the Space Agency?
There are unique factors related to the geographical location, it is closer to the equator. Also climatic, which favor a lower incidence of the jet stream. And, of course, there are those that derive from being an outermost region, which allows for a tax regime that will benefit the companies that arrive. All this without forgetting the good air connectivity enjoyed by the Islands.
Why is that important for releases?
Not to make launches, but to be close to the first starting orbit and from there send them to the final one. Being closer means getting there faster, making that second step easier.
What items could be dropped from the Archipelago?
It is important to understand that these are light launches, not as aggressive as those made from classic places like French Guiana or Houston. We talk about haps (high-altitude pseudo-satellite platforms) that move through the stratosphere, such as the one being prepared at the Fuerteventura Technology Park. Also drones or even planes.
And how are launches approached?
In the Canary Islands it could be done through little aggressive and already proven systems such as balloons. It is sent to the stratosphere and from there, with the built-in rocket, it goes to the initial orbit. A Canarian experience is the Minisat. It can even be launched from a ship.
Would any other candidate city have more problems?
It can be done from anywhere but with more aggressive methods that allow the satellite to overcome the gravitational well and leave the troposphere. I do not want to criticize any other proposal, I simply refer to technical criteria. Others have to argue for or against each of them.
“If they grant it, the Canary Islands have to request the management of the airports to take full advantage”
For what purpose will they be put into orbit? haps or drones?
The first thing we have to define is the strip to be exploited, which goes from sea level to 36,000 meters, which is where the geostationary orbits are. Beyond that distance, it may be interesting to establish alliances with other agencies. Above that altitude we already get into areas where there is no gravity, where there is no air that planes need to sustain themselves.
So that?
Drones, for example, have multiple applications. They are part of the project developed by the Fuerteventura Technology Park, which is the first place in the Canary Islands where aeronautical engineering is being carried out. The haps they move in the range of 20,000 meters and can perform surveillance tasks, environmental analysis, air safety… A practical example would be participating in a fire. They can become the command post to direct the movements of the helicopters that participate in the extinction work. In addition, since they are in orbit, they are available to carry out this work anywhere in Europe or the African continent. In the military field they are also capable of providing high added value. And always without losing sight of the fact that the work they do is sustainable, because their motors are powered exclusively by solar energy. And we return to the Canary Islands as the ideal place, because it has more hours of sunshine than the competitors.
Can we trust that the Canarian candidacy will have a fair assessment?
Subjectivity is unavoidable. What we want is for an effort to be made to evaluate it in the most objective way and to dispense with political issues.
Honestly, does any candidate beat the Canary Islands?
Honestly, we think not. Seville has a fantastic aeronautical industry, but one of the best that exists. There is Airbus, but not its aerospace division, and we are talking about space. To give just one example.
Gran Canaria or Tenerife?
We do not care about one or the other, it is about being in the autonomous community. I have named Fuerteventura several times and there is no Majorera candidacy, but it is unthinkable that everything that has already been advanced in the Technology Park of that island will be disregarded.
Is a development of the aeronautical industry feasible here?
Work is already underway on the infrastructure and field of operations for the japs platform to be launched in 2024 in Fuerteventura. It will be an aerostat, that is, lighter than air. It is released at night so as not to interfere with any traffic. It is like a blimp that is 140 meters long and more than 30 meters wide. It is filled with helium gas and goes up, it will take between two and three hours to reach the stratosphere. From there, it is handled from the ground to be transferred to any place in the world to carry out those surveillance, security or environmental missions, among others, that I was telling you about before.
Can we trust the defense that the Canarian Government will make of this candidacy?
We need it to get a little more wet, to develop a more serious air transport policy. We don’t even have the powers in terms of heliports and restricted-use airports. Madrid has offered them and other autonomous communities have already requested the transfer. In addition, if we want to fully develop the Agency, we have to ask for the management of airport infrastructures for general use. Article 161.1 of the Statute of Autonomy opens the door to it.
