Posted on October 21, 2012, at 10:51 am .
Ukraine’s Cyclone rocket
The first launch of the Ukrainian Cyclone 4 rocket from Brazil’s Alcantara Launch Center, originally set for next year, has been delayed:
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Ukrainian counterpart Victor Yanukovich agreed Friday on a plan to launch a jointly developed satellite from the South American nation in 2014….
That partnership dates from 2003, when Brazil and Ukraine embarked on the Cyclone 4 Alcantara project, which involves developing a launch vehicle to put satellites into orbit from the Alcantara base in the northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhao.
The $588 million venture is part of Brazil’s drive to join the club of countries capable of launching satellites, now limited to the United States, Russia, China, France, India, Israel, Japan and Ukraine.
Read the full story.
Posted on April 7, 2012, at 11:37 am .
Some updates on the Brazilian space program:
- Officials have budgeted $2.2 billion over the next three years for the nation’s space program, according to press reports. The largest chunk of the funds will go toward efforts to launch Ukraine’s Cyclone-4 rocket from Brazil’s Alcantara Launch Center. The inaugural flight is currently scheduled for late 2013. Another key priority is the CBERS-3 environmental satellite that Brazil is developing with China.
- On March 29, engineers conducted the second test on the separation of the four drives of the first stage of the new VLS-1 rocket, a small satellite booster set to make its inaugural flight later this year. “Measurements were made of mechanical shock, vibration, almost static, distortion, simultaneous separation of the four drivers of the first stage, displacement, and the cover photo and video (HD and high speed),” according a press statement.
- Brazil and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation in “such as remote sensing, data sharing and weather,” according to a joint communique issued after a summit between Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “Brazil reiterated the desire to receive satellite images from Indian ResourceSat-2, given the successful cooperation in receiving data from an in-ResourceSat Ground Station Cuiabá. With regard to IBSA Satellite Project, the two leaders expressed their great interest in working together for the success of the program. A technical meeting is to be held in Bangalore in 2012.”
- The two leaders also agreed to Indian cooperate in Brazil’s Science Without Borders program, under which the South American country seeks to educate 75,000 students abroad. The cooperation will involve an exchange of students and educators between the two nations and other educational activities.
Posted on March 5, 2012, at 5:22 am .
Ukrainian Zenit rocket launch.
KYIV, Ukraine, March 2, 2012 (Worldwide News Ukraine PR) – Ukrainian State Space Agency informed that in 2011 Ukraine joined China, the EU, Russia, and the USA becoming one of the top five space rocket launching countries in the world. Since 1991 Ukraine grew into a significant player in the field of space industry, having launched 125 rockets and delivered into orbit 238 satellites that belonged to 19 countries.
As of today Ukraine has launched its rockets from four space launch facilities across the globe. By 2013, the country will start using the fifth launching platform for rocket launches as a joint Ukrainian-Brazilian project Alcantara Cyclone Space will be complete. The binational project will provide a launching facility in one of the most advantageous locations on the planet.
Continue reading ‘Ukraine Ranks in Top 5 for Space Launches’
Posted on November 28, 2011, at 6:34 am .
Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Mercadante with Ukraine Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. (Credit: Office of the Ukraine Prime Minister)
McTier PR:Brazil and Ukraine have decided to deepen the strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation in the spheres of space and military science. This was discussed at the meeting of the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation in Brazil, Mercadante, with Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov.
Mercadante said the strategic cooperation in the space between the countries and expressed interest in signing the relevant contracts for 20-30 years with the possibility of private sector involvement.
In particular, he noted the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the Cyclone-4 project.
Continue reading ‘Brazil, Ukraine to Boost Cooperation in Space, Technology and Defense’
Posted on October 27, 2011, at 4:03 am .
Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovich. (Credit: State Space Agency of Ukraine)
Ukraine Space Agency PR – The project “Cyclone-4 – Alcantara” is on schedule, the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych said in an interview with Ukrainian media in Sao Paulo.
“We now go on to the updated schedule, which developed in the last year,” said Victor Yushchenko. He added that the delay in project implementation has been linked to funding problems, press services report.
The head of state called the project profitable, and it will give the opportunity to develop the aerospace industry.
The President expressed confidence that the technologies used in Ukraine within the project “Cyclone-4 – Alcantara” can be used also in the national economy. “This technology, which we will gradually transfer to the national economy. This is the latest technology – something we very often do not have enough,” said Viktor Yanukovych.
Posted on October 26, 2011, at 7:40 pm .
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
In case you are wondering what Charlie Bolden is up to these days (and I know you are), the NASA chief is on a four-nation outreach visit to Latin America this week that is taking him to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica. The trip is apparently a follow-up to an earlier visit to the region by President Barack Obama, according to press reports.
On Monday, Bolden met with Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno in Santiago to discuss bilateral scientific cooperation and consulted with members of the Chilean Space Agency (ACE). Cooperative efforts discussed included programs to measure the movement of ice and to prevent geological hazards. The testing of Mars surface vehicles in the Atacama Desert was also on the agenda.
Moreno also thanked Bolden for NASA’s assistance in helping to rescue 33 trapped miners last year.
Bolden will be in Brazil on Thursday, where he will to sign a joint cooperative agreement on the Global Precipitation Measurements program that focuses on collecting international rainfall data.
Posted on October 25, 2011, at 5:29 am .
The Gazeta do Povo reports on plans by the Dilma government to significantly increase space spending in Brazil, a boost that will allow for the launching of two new rockets:
The Brazilian Space Program will receive $ 2.1 billion federal investment over the next four years. Among the main goals are to launch four satellites and the construction of a rocket. Resources are provided in the Plan (PPA) from 2012-2015 and have the objective of restructuring the country’s space policy. Experts said the reorganization of the sector is strategic and can generate a leap of technological development in Brazil…In 2010, the budget was $ 300 million.
Continue reading ‘Brazil to Boost Space Budget’
Posted on October 11, 2011, at 5:50 am .
IAE PR – The Aeronautics and Space Institute (IAE) has successfully, the test of separation of the four engines of the first stage of the Satellite Launching Vehicle (VLS). The event was successful and simulated a situation that will occur about 32 km altitude when the vehicle is in flight. The test was carried out yesterday (29/09) in the laboratory of Integration of the IAE propellants and had a team of 45 technicians and engineers between servers. The main objective was the qualification system of separation of the first stage of the VLS.
In total, 167 measurements were made from mechanical shock, vibration, quasi-static deformation, pressure, displacement, separation symmetry, as well as photo coverage, video (HD and high speed). The data collected will be analyzed and used as a basis for understanding the phenomena occurring in the vehicle during this important phase of flight. Among these phenomena are the simultaneous ejection of the engines, the tensions at the interfaces between the second and third stage and mechanical shock loads in the central body and embedded devices. Will also made a comparison between the signals acquired with the telemetry system and ground systems, an important procedure for the qualification of the measurement system in flight.
The VLS is capable of putting into orbit a satellite of 115 kg at 750 km altitude. The vehicle is separated into subdivisions, which include four stages, and ejection Hood, Power Lines and Networks Pyrotechnics.
Posted on October 9, 2011, at 7:43 am .
Tronador II rocket. (Credit: Sergio Panei Pitrau)
Argentina is looking to join the exclusive club of nations with the capacity to launch its own satellites by 2013.
Engineers are now working on the new Tronador II (Thunderer II) , a two-stage rocket that will be capable of launch a 200 kg payload into low-Earth orbit. According to El Argentino, engineering faculty at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata will begin tests on a Tronador prototype next year with the intention of having a vehicle ready to launch in 2013. The work is being overseen by the National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE). Argentina’s first domestic satellite mission will lift off from a new launch pad at a military base in Puerto Belgrano.
The 34-meter tall rocket is based on the Tronador I, a single-stage booster that was first launched in 2007. The earlier rocket served as a technological testbed and only reached 20 km in altitude.
The Tronador II project is a key part of Argentina’s National Space Plan, which also the domestic development of satellite systems, the establishment of the Institute of Space Studies, the creation of information systems using space data, and the expansion of ground infrastructure.
The most intriguing goal is the creation of a regional space agency. In late August, Argentina’s Defense Minister, Arturo Puricelli, proposed the development of a South American space agency to his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim. Brazil has its own ambitions in space, which include launching Ukraine’s Cyclone-4 rocket from its Alcantara Launch Center and developing a family of boosters with Russia.
Posted on October 4, 2011, at 5:26 am .
AEB PR – A Japanese delegation comprising representatives of the embassy, academia and research was received yesterday (21/09), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the director of the Satellite, Applications and Development (Dsad) Thyrso Villela, and the chief Advisor for International Cooperation (ACI), José Montserrat Filho. The main theme of the meeting was the possibility of joint development of micro / nanosatellites.
According to the Japanese delegation miniaturization of satellites is already a worldwide trend in two respects. The first is the low cost of manufacture. While the medium-large can cost anywhere from $ 200 to $ 500 million, small businesses are in the range of $ 2 to $ 5 million, which represents one-hundredth the price.
Continue reading ‘Brazil, Japan to Cooperate on Micro- and Nanosats’
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