Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales / Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities

The Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales, ABAE) is the Venezuelan Space Agency, which was established on 25 October 2007 by the Venezuelan government. According to the rules and regulations set forth by the Ministry of Popular Power for Science and Technology, the acronym ABAE refers to the national entity in charge of managing space programs, projects, and activities. The ABAE is in five different locations in the country:

• The headquarters are in Caracas, Distrito Capital;
• The Ground Applications System is in Caracas too;
• the BAMARI Main Ground Control Station is in Guárico State;
• the Luepa Backup Ground Control Station is in Bolívar State; and
• the Center for Space Research and Development (which is under construction) is in Carabobo State.

About the Venezuelan space programs

Thanks to the cooperation with the People’s Republic of China on space matters, Venezuela launched the VENESAT-1 satellite for communications in 3 frequency bands in 2008. It operated in geostationary orbit until 2020. In 2012, Venezuela launched its first remote sensing satellite, VRSS-1, and in 2017, the second remote sensing satellite for Venezuela was launched, VRSS-2.

As part of the impulse that the country gave in space matter, Venezuela began the construction of the Space R&D center, which is under construction. During all these years, Venezuela has established relationships that have allowed us to participate in international scenarios and develop joint projects that have contributed to the space development of our country.

Venezuela has participated in the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS); ABAE has worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; with the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters (CHARTER); and in the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Venezuela has signed the agreement for the creation of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE). Venezuela has approached the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) with the purpose of being part of this organization as an observer member. Venezuela's satellite capabilities have allowed ABAE to cooperate with various national institutions to implement satellite applications in different areas such as cartography, environmental monitoring and protection, natural disaster response, risk analysis, agriculture, risk analysis, monitoring and care of water, climate change, etc. This national cooperation has also allowed us to work together with the representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Venezuela on some forest protection projects, and this year we are working to start a project related to the hydrography of one of the most important national parks in our country, which is part of the natural heritage of humanity according to UNESCO.