Left Behind, Brazil Talks Space Cooperation with India

Cooperation between Brazil and India in the space area was the theme of a meeting between the heads of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), Sergio Gaudenzi, and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Madhavan Nair, this Wednesday, May 16, in Brazilian capital BrasÀ­lia.

The Indian delegation had, among its members, the director of the Earth Observations System, Venkatakrishnan Jayaraman, and the director of the Polar Satellite Launching Vehicle (PSLV), Neelakanta Narayanamoorthy.

The two countries have talked about bilateral cooperation that have been in progress since 2004, when Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made an official visit to India. At the occasion, an agreement was signed for the peaceful use of space, approved in April this year by the Commission of Foreign Relations and national Defense at Brazil's Lower House.

Indians currently have the fastest growing space program in the world. With a budget of US$ 2.4 billion, India has built 29 satellites, developed two launchers and established infrastructure for development, construction and testing of telecommunications, remote sensing and meteorology satellites.

The visit of the Indian group might result in cooperation projects before the end of year, said the president of the AEB, Sérgio Gaudenzi. "The visit was productive, since it's from here that new ideas for future  projects will come from. We are going to sit down and define four or five concrete points and develop them in the period of two months," said Gaudenzi.

According to Gaudenzi, 20 years ago, Brazil, India and China were at about the same level of development in space matters. This, however, has changed in the last 10 years and Brazil was left behind due to lack of investment in the sector. Brazil has already space agreements with China, Russia and Ukraine.

Among areas in which India and Brazil can cooperate are satellite launching and tracing, the use of satellites in telemedicine and teleeducation.

The Indian delegation also visited the Itamaraty (Brazil's Foreign Ministry) and the Science and Technology ministry in Brasí­lia. In São Paulo they were received at the Inpe (National Institute of Space Studies) and the Aerospace Technology General Command.

Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is scheduled to visit New Delhi, in India, at the beginning of June.