The U.S. has pressured Argentina and Chile to review two Chinese telescope projects in the Andean deserts, citing national security concerns. Astronomers warn that halting these initiatives could disrupt critical research in the Southern Hemisphere. The Cesco observatory in Argentina’s San Juan Province, home to a $32 million Chinese radio telescope, now sits incomplete after U.S. officials raised fears it could track U.S. satellites.

Similar tensions emerged in Chile’s Atacama Desert, where a Chinese observatory was stalled following U.S. diplomatic pressure. These actions reflect a broader geopolitical struggle, with the U.S. invoking an updated Monroe Doctrine to counter China’s growing influence in Latin America. Argentina’s right-wing president, Javier Milei, initially opposed China but softened his stance after receiving a $20 billion U.S. aid package, highlighting the region’s economic entanglements with Beijing.