Pedro Sánchez pulls a space rabbit out of the hat

Whether it will be a man or a woman, it seems that in the not too distant future there will be someone to represent Spain in the international forums where the directors of the world's space agencies meet, a scenario from which we are absent.

Iván Redondo, the director of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, during the Mixed Commission on National Security yesterady, Thursday 27, stated, “I announce the creation of the Spanish Space Agency, something that is important in order to be able to integrate resources". That was all, nothing more, nothing less - at last!

However, neither the Mixed Commission on National Security of the Congress and Senate seems the most appropriate place to announce such an important initiative, nor is the person proclaiming it the most suitable position to anticipate such a decision. It seems reasonable that it should be announced at least by the government spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, or by one of the five ministers who have responsibilities in this area. In fact, it is a matter of such strategic importance that it should have been made public by the head of the Executive himself, Pedro Sánchez... as he was expected to do in the next few weeks after the relevant consultations.

I welcome and hope that the aforementioned Spanish Space Agency will become a reality as soon as possible. I am a staunch advocate of the need for it, I have put forward my reasons and fought for its establishment for years at meetings, conferences and forums in the sector, in the specialised and general media, especially in ATALAYAR.

For the moment, the sudden revelation is the expression of a will that has been long overdue. Shaping it will be a real challenge. And one of the keys will be to find the right person with the best skills and qualities to lead the new institution.

This surprising announcement of enormous consequences, in an inappropriate scenario and by an inappropriate person, is an example of a last resort: pulling a rabbit out of the hat, in a desperate attempt to steal headlines and divert the attention of the press, radio and television analysts and pundits from the issue that most affects and worries the most at the Moncloa Palace. This is the view of many of the sources consulted in the official and private spheres of the national space community.

News that the government is to create a national Space Agency once and for all is an escape route from the widespread sentiment being advanced by independent foresight firms. The vast majority of Spaniards flatly reject the expressions of support by President Pedro Sánchez and his ministers for granting a pardon to Catalan independence prisoners convicted of sedition and still serving sentences. And after the PSOE's debacle in the Madrid elections on May 4 at the hands of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, polls predict its collapse in a future general election. Therein lies the key to his continued wandering of the last two weeks to get media coverage.

Back to the unexpected announcement. No one  in the five ministries with responsibilities in space, including Defence, in the Spanish space industry, nor in institutions of the importance of the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), was aware that such an announcement was imminent, let alone that President Pedro Sánchez had already taken a decision on the matter.

Expressions such as "I didn't know anything and I know that nobody knew anything", "Some managers with whom I met yesterday had big suprise faces", "I was caught by surprise", "there is an official document circulating on satellite navigation but not a word about an Agency" are the ones I heard from high-ranking officials and managers in the sector.

Less than three months ago, the Minister of Science and Innovation, the ESA astronaut on leave, Pedro Duque, flatly rejected the idea that a Space Agency should be set up. In an online colloquium organised on March 3 by Executive Forum on the subject of innovation and research in an environment of pandemic and crisis, I asked him a very specific question.

Minister, when is the government planning to set up an organisation equivalent to a national space agency? His answer left me speechless: "The Spanish Space Agency is the European Space Agency and, for the time being, we are going to stay as we are".

I was speechless, as was the national space fabric as a whole, in both the institutional and business spheres. But that was not all. He added that the creation of an Agency had been the subject of "reflections, which have been done for some time. And he concluded by saying that creating more public structures "is a bit scary, because they are not always the solution to things". Dixit.

Within the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), the public company under Pedro Duque's Ministry responsible for managing national participation in the European Space Agency (ESA), they were not in favour either. I guess they are now. In essence, their argument was as follows: "There is no point in creating an Agency as long as there are no national programmes to give it content". Well, it seems that these programmes have appeared overnight.  

At the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), at the Spanish Association of Defence, Security, Aeronautics and Space Technology Companies (TEDAE), they are "very satisfied" with the decision. But everywhere, ministries, institutions and industries, there is interest in knowing when and how the Agency will come into being.

It should be stressed that there is no lack of objective reasons for the creation of a national organisation dedicated exclusively to the space sector. The strength of the sector on a global scale, the challenges of exploring the Moon, Mars and the Solar System, the emergence of agencies in many countries due to the new space race and its strategic and economic repercussions have made it advisable for years, even decades. Work has been underway on how to build the national space edifice, but with little progress so far.

Just a few days ago, the European Union's Space Agency Programme was officially established in Prague. Our Portuguese neighbours not only have their Space Agency but also a Strategy, a Space Law and are building a rocket launch base in the Azores. In Spain, ENAIRE and Indra have just announced their project to place a constellation of more than 200 air traffic control satellites in space. Last year saw the creation of the Catalan Space Agency, a slap in the face for the Madrid government. Meanwhile, five ministries are dividing up the various competences among themselves in the 21st century!

Iván Redondo's surprise declaration has been greatly influenced by the fact that one of his subordinates is an expert on national and international developments in the world of space. A person close to and in tune with Pedro Sánchez, Army General Miguel Ángel Ballesteros is the director of the Department of National Security of the Presidency of the Government.

A pioneer of the institutional space sector in the military sphere, his recommendation to set up a Space Agency has been decisive. Now it is time to get down to work to see which ministry wins the day. The battle is on. But that is another story. And a Space Law and a National Space Strategy are still pending. There is plenty of work to be done.