India-Brazil Space Cooperation to Track ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan Missions

Tracking support for Indian satellites including Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan missions will be the focus of India Brazil Space Cooperation talks on Saturday. Also, the two sides will talk about the launch of Amazonia-1 satellite onboard PSLV in June-July this year from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Confirming this, senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), through its Ground stations in Alcantara and Cuiaba are already providing tracking support for Indian satellites including Chandrayaan-I, Megha Tropiques, MOM, and ASTROSAT).”

Both India and Brazil on the sidelines of the 6th BRICS summit in 2014 inked agreement for setting up a Brazilian earth station for receiving data from Indian satellites. Officials confirmed that the Indian Space Agency is already imparting training on how to operate the station and gather data through remote sensing. This, in turn, is being used by Brazilian scientists for their own training.

Financial Express Online was the first to report about the launch of the Brazilian Satellite in 2020. According to a representative of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), “The launch of Amazonia with PSLV later this year is confirmed. It is expected to be launched either in June or July.”

Amazonia-1 which will be the primary payload, not a hitch-hike satellite has been built, designed and tested in Brazil. It will be Brazil’s first satellite for Earth Observation.

It will provide remote sensing data (images) to observe and monitor deforestation especially in the Amazon region, and also the diversified agriculture throughout the country.

Several documents for space cooperation have been signed between the two governments as well as the Space Agencies level since 2000.

Space Cooperation

From October 2009-September 2013 Brazil has received data from India’s Resourcesat-1 satellite. And presently it is receiving data from Resourcesat-2 since October 2014.

The images from the Brazilian Satellite Amazonia-1 is which is getting ready for the launch later this year from India is going to be used by that country to observe and monitor deforestation especially in the Amazon region, and also diversified vegetation and agricultural activities across that country.

Source: FE

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia