Argentina is moving forward with the launch of the SABIA-Mar, the new national satellite that will enhance surveillance of the Argentine Sea, detect vessels, control activities related to illegal fishing, and monitor ocean ecosystems, and that has already entered the final stage of integration and testing before being sent into space during the first half of 2027.
The mission is led by the National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE) and has INVAP as the main contractor for the construction, integration, and testing of the satellite, which will incorporate optical cameras, advanced sensors, and night observation capabilities to obtain strategic information about the coasts, inland waters, and the vast maritime surface of Argentina.
One of the main objectives of SABIA-Mar will be to produce scientific information about the ocean and its resources, although its capabilities have been expanded to include functions related to maritime security, vessel identification, and monitoring fishing activities.
The project was originally designed to measure sea color and estimate different biophysical variables related to ocean productivity. Among the products it will be able to generate are chlorophyll-a maps, ocean reflectance, turbidity, photosynthetically available radiation, and coefficients related to light penetration in water.
The system will have a revisit time of approximately two days, with a spatial resolution of 200 meters for regional scenarios and 800 meters for global observations.
Increased surveillance over the Argentine Sea
The capabilities of the new satellite will exceed environmental observation. SABIA-Mar will provide information aimed at locating and identifying collaborative and non-cooperative vessels, a tool that will expand the available capabilities for monitoring Argentine maritime spaces.
