President Claudia Sheinbaum and José Antonio Peña Merino, head of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency, discussed on Thursday during the morning conference the resignation of Dr. Salvador Landeros Ayala, general director of the Mexican Space Agency.
In the resignation letter submitted, Landeros announced his separation from the position and communicated that the agency, responsible for coordinating the country's space activities, would be eliminated. In response, both Merino and the president dismissed the disappearance of the Space Agency, assuring that it is only a name change to incorporate it into other organizations.
"It does not disappear; it changes its name," Sheinbaum stated categorically, adding that Landeros would be welcome to participate in the new Mexican Space Program if he wished. In his resignation letter, the director lamented that, despite his efforts, he was unable to convey the importance of the AEM for the scientific, technological, and educational development of the country, neither to the president nor to Merino. For this reason, he was notified of the decision to eliminate the organization.
"The reason is that the AEM has not been given the importance it deserves, either in budgetary or administrative terms, despite the fact that it should be the coordinating and articulating body for Mexico's space activities," Landeros expressed in his resignation letter. He added that he found the direction taken by the situation unfortunate, considering the dedication and work of the academic, scientific, and technological community, as well as that of the Congress of the Union, in the creation of the Mexican Space Agency.
