President Lula's speech at the laying of the foundation stone for Chile's National Space Center

It is a great honor to be here to lay the foundation stone of Chile's National Space Center.

The almost 190 years of relationship between Brazil and Chile are not past history. They are a shared project for the future, always ready to explore new fields.

The space sector is more strategic than ever for a nation's development.

There is no activity today that does not require space infrastructure. Communications, energy generation, navigation, and even facing climate change all rely greatly on space.

Despite its relevance, the space sector is one of the areas in which inequality among countries is most evident.

Export controls on components and technological inputs, access restrictions, and financial limitations disproportionately impact the Global South

When it comes to technology, the developed world's current practice tends to be running to the top and, as a South Korean economist once said, “kicking the ladder” so that others cannot catch up. 

Cooperation among Southern countries has the potential to reverse this disadvantage. Together we can multiply capabilities and build our own ladder. 

But for the benefits of space development to be shared among all, they must be fostered within a solid public policy framework.

The fantasies of billionaires who would rather colonize Mars than take care of Earth do not replace the action and guidance of the State.

In recent years, the Brazilian space sector suffered from governmental neglect.

We have now resumed investment through technological orders worth 300 million reais. We will strengthen the space industry and generate the necessary jobs and income.

In Brazil, we managed to develop an ecosystem of technological research and robust space applications.

We have institutions of excellence such as the National Institute for Space Research, to which we add universities and an innovative private sector.

We are proud to share Brazil's institutional experience with Chile's young Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, established in 2018. 

The memorandums of understanding signed by our ministers will allow us to explore joint initiatives in the space sector and other cutting-edge areas.

I am positive that this Center will be an important asset for Chile's economic, scientific, and technological development and that our cooperation will take us very far.

Thank you very much.