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Emiliano Martínez Viademonte

After almost four decades of international cooperation in space affairs, Brazil and China have unveiled details of a new project to launch a powerful meteorological and environmental satellite.
It will be capable of monitoring the whole of South America, according to the space sciences department at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
Adenilson Roberto da Silva, general coordinator of engineering and technology with the INPE, said the satellite would provide “improved weather forecasting, disaster monitoring and early-warning systems that can save lives”.
Details of the CBERS-5 (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) programme were first presented following technical meetings held in May between the INPE and a Chinese delegation.
The satellite is scheduled to be launched from a Chinese launch site in 2030. The two countries will work together on various aspects of the project.
“Under the agreement reached between the two countries, Brazil will be responsible for the satellite platform, while China will be responsible for the meteorological and environmental payload,” INPE said in a press release.
The South American country will take part in preparing the satellite’s structure, while its Asian counterpart will work on the instruments, including sensors and other equipment.
CBERS-5 will be the first Brazilian satellite of its kind: a geostationary satellite that will provide real-time data to predict droughts, storms and other critical environmental events.
The final specifications have not yet been defined, but da Silva said the satellite would “provide data with similar or better quality” than those currently available.


According to Brazilian authorities, Brazil will control the satellite and provide data to the public. The mission will place Brazil among a small group of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites.
INPE said that the satellite “will strengthen Brazil’s environmental monitoring infrastructure and contribute to Brazil’s ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change”.
The project will involve the Chinese Academy of Space Technology, Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and INPE, with participation from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Space Agency of Brazil and the China National Space Administration.
“CBERS-5 was designed to meet the needs of both countries,” da Silva said.
Bilateral cooperation in space has led to the development of six CBERS satellites to date, two of which are still operating: CBERS-4, launched in 2014, and CBERS-4A, launched in 2019. Both specialise in providing satellite imagery for monitoring deforestation, fires, water resources and land-use changes.
The CBERS programme includes a seventh satellite, CBERS-6, currently under development. It will be the first in the series equipped with synthetic aperture radar and will operate in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, providing images regardless of cloud cover or daylight conditions.
With these new space projects, Brazil will expand its capabilities from fast-moving low Earth orbit satellites with a maximum altitude of 2,000km (1,240 miles), to geosynchronous orbit satellites located about 35,786km above the equator and orbiting at the same rate as the Earth’s rotation.
INPE expects the project to lead to greater cooperation and closer collaboration. “Brazil will become a provider of meteorological satellite data,” da Silva concluded.


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China

The project will place Brazil among a small number of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites


The project will place Brazil among a small number of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites.


Brazil

China National Space Administration (CNSA)

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China, Brazil to launch 24/7 disaster early warning satellite for South America

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The project will place Brazil among a small number of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites

The project will place Brazil among a small number of countries capable of developing and operating geostationary satellites