Jump to content

NASA, USAID Launch SERVIR Central American Hub


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

A group of people in a conference room sit in chairs looking at the speaker with the image of the Earth from space behind them.
U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, William H. Duncan, speaks to attendees at the SERVIR Central America launch in San Salvador.
SERVIR

SERVIR, NASA’s flagship partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a new regional center, or hub, in Central America on Dec. 3. The new hub is in partnership with the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Turrialba, Costa Rica, and is supported by the USAID Central America and Mexico Regional Program. The launch event took place in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The event introduced guests to the structure and mission of the new hub, featuring remarks from SERVIR Global Program Manager Dan Irwin and video overviews of some of its planned projects. Karen St Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division and U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, William H. Duncan, provided recorded remarks congratulating the new program.  

Central America holds a special place in SERVIR’s history. Over three decades ago, Dan Irwin, research scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and SERVIR’s founder and Global Program Manager, was working in Guatemala to use satellite data to map a new forest reserve. During this time, Irwin met with representatives from Central American environmental ministries to demonstrate how NASA Earth data could help to address environmental challenges and reduce disaster risk.

“In this meeting, I realized that NASA has a vast library of Earth data, but this information wasn’t being used by experts across the globe who have the best understanding of local development issues. I wanted to find a way to bridge that gap,” Irwin shared.

Under Irwin’s leadership, NASA and USAID partnered to create the SERVIR program, which was formally established in 2005. SERVIR’s mission is to “connect space to village,” increasing global access to NASA Earth data to support locally led environmental and development efforts.

An older bald man with a black suit and red tie gestures at the photo of the Earth behind him.
SERVIR Global Program Manager Dan Irwin from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center speaks about the history of the SERVIR program at the Central America launch in San Salvador.
SERVIR

SERVIR soon expanded its partnerships across the globe, with regional hubs in South America, Asia, and Africa.

SERVIR Central America will work to serve more than 40 million people throughout the region, collaborating with governments, universities, and civil society organizations to support existing natural resource management and development decision-making. The hub will support resilience against environmental challenges including  hurricanes, droughts, deforestation, and biodiversity loss.

SERVIR Central America will also strengthen the region’s technical capacity to use Earth observations and promote opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math. The hub will expand the use of geospatial technology by young people and other groups with limited access to these tools.

servir-ca-launch3.jpg?w=2048

“The launch of SERVIR Central America marks a milestone in the collaboration between space-based technology and Central America’s local needs,” said Irwin. “This initiative represents NASA and USAID’s commitment to putting advanced technology at the service of the region.”

To learn more about SERVIR, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/servir

Elizabeth Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov

Lane Figueroa
Huntsville, Alabama
256.544.0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      On April 8, 2025, Bangladesh became the 54th nation to sign the accords. The commitments of the Artemis Accords and efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles support the safe and sustainable exploration of space.NASA Following a signing ceremony Tuesday in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka, NASA congratulates Bangladesh as the 54th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity.
      “We are thrilled by Bangladesh’s signature of the Accords,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Bangladesh affirms its role in shaping the future of space exploration. This is about ensuring that our journey to the Moon – and beyond – is peaceful, sustainable, and transparent. We look forward to working together, to learning from one another, and to seeing how Bangladesh’s incredible talent and vision contribute to humanity’s next great chapter in space.”
      Ashraf Uddin, the secretary of defense for Bangladesh,signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country. Charge d’Affaires Tracey Jacobson for the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, participated in the event, and Petro contributed remarks in a pre-recorded video message.
      “Bangladesh’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” said Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. “By signing the accords, Bangladesh builds upon an important foundation for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space.”
      In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, a first-ever set of practical guidelines for nations to increase safety of operations and reduce risk and uncertainty in their civil exploration activities. That group of signatories has grown to more than 50 countries today.
      The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements, including the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices for responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data. 
      Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
      -end-
      Amber Jacobson / Jennifer Dooren
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / jennifer.m.dooren@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Apr 08, 2025 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) Artemis Accords View the full article
    • By NASA
      A Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with Expedition 73 crew members: NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy, onboard, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky) NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, arrived at the International Space Station on Tuesday, bringing the number of residents to 10 for the next two weeks.
      The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft carrying Kim, Ryzhikov, and Zubritsky docked to the Prichal module at 4:57 a.m. EDT, following a three-hour, two-orbit journey to the space station. They launched at 1:47 a.m. (10:47 a.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
      When hatches open at approximately 7:20 a.m., the trio will join the Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Don Pettit, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Ivan Vagner, and Alexey Ovchinin.
      NASA’s live coverage of hatch opening will begin at 7 a.m. on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.
      Expedition 73 will begin on Saturday, April 19, following the departure of Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner, as they conclude a seven-month science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.
      Watch the ceremonial change of command at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, April 18, as Ovchinin transfers the distinction to Onishi, live on NASA+.
      Throughout his eight-month stay aboard the orbital outpost, Kim will conduct scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, human research, and more. This is the first flight for Kim and Zubritsky, and the third for Ryzhikov.
      Learn more about space station activities at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/station
      -end-
      Joshua Finch
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1100
      joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
      Sandra Jones
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Apr 08, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) View the full article
    • By NASA
      NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Soyuz MS-27 Hatch Opening
    • By NASA
      NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Soyuz MS-27 Docking
    • By NASA
      Credit: NASA NASA has selected ARES Technical Services of McLean, Virginia, to provide safety and mission assurance services at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
      The Safety and Mission Assurance Services III contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with an estimated total value of $226 million. The contract will have a five-year effective ordering period starting on June 1, 2025, with an optional six-month extension period.
      Under the contract, the vendor will provide support to the agency’s Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at NASA Goddard. This includes performing independent surveillance, audits, reviews, and assessments of design, development, test, and mission operations activities on site at NASA and supplier facilities.
      For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:
      https://www.nasa.gov
      -end-
      Tiernan Doyle
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
      Jacob Richmond
      Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland
      301-286-6255
      jacob.a.richmond@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Apr 07, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...