 | |
 ARSAT-2 being stored for transfer toFrench Guiana. | |
| Company type | Government owned corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace, nuclear energy, communications, defence |
| Founded | September 1, 1976; 49 years ago (September 1, 1976) |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Hugo Albani (President) |
| Owner | Río Negro Province government |
| Subsidiaries | Black River Technology |
| Website | invap |
INVAP S.E. is anArgentine company that provides design, integration, construction and delivery of equipment, plants and devices. The company operates inNorth America,Europe,Asia Pacific,Latin America,the Middle East andAfrica, and delivers projects for nuclear, aerospace, chemical, medical, petroleum and governmental sectors.
The company is an unlisted private company, the sole owner being theProvince of Río Negro. Its headquarters is inSan Carlos de Bariloche. As of 2023, INVAP employs some 1,700 employees, 80% of which are professionals and specialists in their field of expertise.[1]
In 2018 the company was avowed as the most important business from Argentina, winning the DiamondKonex Award.
INVAP was created on September 1, 1976,[2] as a spin-off of theArgentine Atomic Energy Commission, research laboratories division. The name INVAP is a portmanteau of the wordsinvestigaciónaplicada ("applied research" in Spanish).
INVAP was the first company inLatin America certified byNASA (the US (National) Aeronautics and Space Administration) to supply space technologies.[1] It constructssatellites, payloads, and ground stations, including the SAC ("Satelites de Aplicación Científica") satellite family, developed for the Argentine space agencyCONAE. INVAP was the first company in Latin America to provide design, development, mission control and operational support.[3]
TheSAC-D was put into orbit on June 9, 2011, carrying several scientific payloads, including NASA's $100 millionAquarius project, which will measure the oceans'salinity.[4]ARSAT-1 - the first communications satellite entirely built in Argentina - was launched in 2014, while a second satellite in the series,ARSAT-2 was launched in September 2015.[5][6]
In the field of nuclear projects, the company specializes in the design and construction ofnuclear research reactors,radioisotope production plants,nuclear fuel manufacturing plants,uranium enrichment facilities,neutron beam transport systems,radiation protection instrumentation,reactor protection systems, and modernization and refurbishment of research reactors. INVAP also conducts consultancy and research activities for nuclear power plant suppliers in areas such asnuclear reactor fuels,laser isotope separation, andreactor core reshuffling studies for nuclear power plants.
INVAP has constructed and installed the followingnuclear reactors:
| Country | Location | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria | Algiers | NUR | Sold toHaut Commisariat pour la Recherche of the Algerian government. |
 Argentina | Bariloche | RA-6 | ForCNEA. |
| Pilcaniyeu | RA-8 | For CNEA. | |
| Lima,Zárate[7] | CAREM | For CNEA. | |
 Australia | Sydney | OPAL | Sold to theAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). |
 Egypt | Cairo | ETRR-2 | Sold to theEgyptian Atomic Energy Authority. |
 Peru | Lima | RP-0 | Provision of nuclear instrumentation to theInstituto Peruano de Energía Nuclear. |
| Huarangal | RP-10 | Provision of nuclear instrumentation to the Instituto Peruano de Energía Nuclear. | |
 Netherlands | Petten[8] | PALLAS | For Pallas foundation.[8] |
In 2009, INVAP and the Spanish group Isolux were pre-selected in an international tender, known as the PALLAS project. This entailed the procurement of an 80 MW nuclear reactor for theDutch city ofPetten[9] (seePetten nuclear reactor), but in February 2010, the Dutch radiopharmaceutical producerNuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) extended the preparatory phase up to end of the year for financing.[10]
In 2010, INVAP andCITEDEF completed the development and readied for testing a method that used alaser to remove theradioactive components fromheavy water which is used to cool nuclear reactors.[11]
On the 24th of January, 2018, INVAP won the international tender for a nuclear research reactor and radioisotope production facility for medical uses in The Netherlands.[12]
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