Brazil Signs Space Agreement With Russia

[odysseus145]

Brazil Signs Space Agreement With Russia<br /><br />by Frank Braun<br />Los Angeles CA (UPI) Oct 18, 2004<br />Brazil and Russia are about to expand their cooperation in space, officials at AEB, the country's space agency, told United Press International.<br /><br />Both countries plan to sign a memorandum of understanding during Russian President Vladimir Putin's scheduled visit to Brazil in late November. The memorandum calls for the joint development and production of launch vehicles, the launch of geostationary satellites and the joint development and utilization of Brazil's Alcantara Launch Center, an AEB officials said.<br /><br />In addition, during Putin's visit both countries are expected to finalize negotiations on a financial package for the implementation of such joint projects, the official added.<br /><br />Russian participation in the development of Brazil's rockets or utilization of Alcantara would mark a significant milestone in the global commercial space community.<br /><br />If joint development and utilization means the Russians plan to launch any of their rockets from Alcantara, that would be only the second time a Russian launcher would lift off from a spaceport other than Baikonur in Kazakhstan, or Plesetsk, both former Soviet launch centers currently utilized by the Russians.<br /><br />Preliminary discussions concerning the memorandum took place in Moscow last week. Participants included Jose Alencar, Brazil's vice president; Mikhail Fradkov, the Russian prime minister; Sergio Gaudenzi, president of AEB, and Anatoliy Perminov, head of FKA, Russia's new Federal Space Agency.<br /><br />FKA was created six months ago as a result of administrative reform in the country's space program, the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda reported. Perminov formerly was first commander of Russia's Space Forces.<br /><br />Brazilian space officials said the proposed memorandum expands two existing scientific <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Aetius]

Sweet. Anything that expands the potential number of commercial spacefaring nations is good, in my opinion.

 

[absolutezero]

I disagree, granted Brazil and Russia are peaceful nations, with China especially and everyone else going up there un-monitored makes me nervous. I perfer NASA and the US government to continue to over see space travel at this time.