An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in

Brazil

Rodrigo Leonardi and Adriana Elysa Alimandro Corrêa

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Multi Mission Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Amazonia-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Brazilian Nanosatellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Launch Vehicle for Small Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Educational Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cross-References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of past and ongoing small satellite-related
initiatives in Brazil and discusses the importance of these initiatives on several
fronts such as education, training, research, science, applications, and business
opportunities in the context of the Brazilian space sector. For this purpose, a brief
history of early initiatives in the 1990s is provided together with a description of
recent national small satellite projects, from mini down to pico-space objects, and
an examination of synergies with other space activities in Brazil. This compila-
tion of the major facts about the use of small satellites in Brazil is a helpful
contribution for professionals interested in space activities in the country and in
South America.

R. Leonardi (*) · A. E. A. Corrêa

Directorate of Satellites, Applications and Development, Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), Brasília,
DF, Brazil
e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 1

J. Pelton (ed.), Handbook of Small Satellites,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20707-6_68-1
2 R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa

Keywords
Brazilian small satellites · South American small satellites · Brazilian space
agency · INPE · Brazilian multi mission platform · Amazonia-1 · Nanosatellites ·
STEM

Introduction

Early studies and efforts to develop small satellites in Brazil can be traced back to
COBAE, which was a commission, created in 1971, with the purpose of providing
advice for the Brazilian government about the development of space activities in the
country. COBAE activities were important to enable the very first satellite developed
entirely in Brazil – more specifically at the Brazilian National Institute for Space
Research (Portuguese: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais; INPE) – named
SCD-1, a small satellite with a mass of 115 kg, that was launched into space by a
Pegasus rocket in 1993 with the mission of receiving and retransmitting environ-
mental data, from ground and ocean automatic data collection platforms, to tracking
ground stations.
But the very first Brazilian small satellite launched into space was actually an
initiative of one single individual. The small satellite Dove-OSCAR 17 was a
Brazilian educational and an amateur radio satellite developed by Mr. Júnior Torres
de Castro, an engineer from the state of São Paulo, using resources of his own. Dove-
OSCAR 17 had a mass of about 13 kg and was launched in 1990 by an Ariane 4
launch vehicle as a piggyback of the French satellite Spot 2. It carried on-board a
Digital Orbiting Voice Encoder designed to transmit synthesized voice messages and
telemetry data. Although it was proposed and executed by a Brazilian engineer, the
project took place at AMSAT Labs, Colorado, USA. Nonetheless, it is considered a
Brazilian space object indeed by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
These two small satellite projects, SCD-1 and Dove-OSCAR 17, followed very
different paths and approaches to fulfill their missions. SCD-1 was a government
planned and executed mission using national engineering and resources – what one
would refer these days as the traditional approach – while Dove-OSCAR 17 was a
bottom-up mission of opportunity with enormous support from international partners
and with some elements of what one would refer these days as lean approach. But
both were definitely pioneers of the small satellite category in Brazil and, back then,
very innovative projects. And after them, Brazil embarked on other space projects,
although did not maintain a constant flow of small satellite missions, as can be seen
in Table 1 that displays a timeline of Brazilian space objects, under 500 kg, launched
into space.
Meanwhile, Brazil established its space agency in 1994, and, since then, the
Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira; AEB) is the
civilian entity responsible for the country’s space policy and program. Besides, in
the aftermath of the tragical Alc^antara VLS Brazilian launch vehicle accident in
2003, Brazil actually prioritized medium (e.g., China-Brazil Earth Resources
An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in Brazil 3

Table 1 List of Brazilian space objects under 500 kg in reverse chronological order of launch
Object Year Launch vehicle Main organization Mass [kg]
FloripaSat 2019 Long march 4B UFSC/AEB 1
Itasat 2018 Falcon-9 ITA/AEB 5.2
Tancredo-1 2017 H-2B Escola Tancredo Neves/INPE/ 0.7
AEB
Serpens 2015 H-2B UnB/AEB 4
Aesp-14 2015 Falcon-9 ITA/AEB 1
NanosatC-Br1 2014 Dnepr INPE/UFSM/AEB 1
Unosat 2003 VLSa UNOPAR 9
Satec 2003 VLSa INPE 65
Saci-2 1999 VLSa INPE 80
Saci-1 1999 Long march INPE 60
SCD-2 1998 Pegasus INPE 117
SCD-2A 1997 VLSa INPE 115
SCD-1 1993 Pegasus INPE 115
Dove- 1990 Ariane 4 Eng. Torres de Castro 13
OSCAR17
a
The satellite was lost due to a launch failure

Satellite CBERS) and large (e.g., Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communi-
cations Satellite SGDC) space objects initiatives. But, recently, after more than a
decade without expressive results on space objects under 500 kg, there is again a
small satellite trend gaining visibility and importance in the Brazilian space sector.
This chapter offers a compilation of the major facts about the use of small satellites in
Brazil as a helpful contribution for professionals interested in space activities in the
country and in South America.
The chapter is organized as follows. Section ▶ “Multi Mission Platform” contains
a description of the basic elements of the Brazilian Multi Mission Platform for mini
satellites. Section ▶ “Amazonia-1” presents the satellite Amazonia-1, scheduled for
launch in 2020, and the associated technological challenges and gains. Section
▶ “Brazilian Nanosatellites” summarizes the current scenario of nanosatellites in
Brazil. Section ▶ “Launch Vehicle for Small Satellites” reports some Brazilian
initiatives that aim to provide access to space for small satellites. Section ▶ “Edu-
cational Initiatives” provides comments on the importance of small satellites for
science and technology education. Lastly, section ▶ “Conclusions” offers a view of
future opportunities and conclusions.

Multi Mission Platform

The Multi Mission Platform (MMP) is a generic platform for mini satellites devel-
oped in Brazil (e.g., (INPE)). Its service module – a satellite mounting platform with
a mass of 250 kg – provides all necessary resources to support the operation, in orbit,
for payloads up to 280 kg. The project is a joint effort of INPE and AEB, and it is one
4 R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa

of the most important initiatives Brazil has carried out in the field of small satellites.
Its propulsion, solar generator, thermal control, and mechanical structure subsystems
were completely developed and manufactured in Brazil. The attitude and orbit
control and on-board supervision subsystem were developed in cooperation with
Argentina, and the power supply was designed in Brazil using hardware available in
the international market. One of the main drivers of the MPP project is to allow the
reduction of costs and development time of small satellites that adopt its service
module as a reliable solution for their mission (the MMP serves primarily as
a platform for small objects, but it is also suitable for satellites with a mass slightly
above 500 kg). The MMP is planned to be qualified in space through the Amazonia-
1 mission. Additionally, INPE and AEB have already carried out conceptual studies
for future uses of the MMP such as Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) applications
and Ocean monitoring. The MMP is a project with considerable participation of
Brazilian space companies. Figure 1 displays a schematic view of the MMP.

Amazonia-1

The Amazonia-1 is the first Earth Observation satellite based on the MMP, and it was
designed, integrated, and tested in Brazilian facilities (e.g., (INPE da Silva et al.
2014; Chagas and Lopes 2014)). INPE and AEB are working together to ensure
success of this Sun synchronous (polar) orbiting satellite that aims to generate
images over the Brazilian territory in order to observe and monitor the Amazon
rainforest, especially deforestation in the region, as well as the diversified agriculture
throughout the country with a high revisiting rate – 5 days – working in synergy with
existing environmental INPE programs and Amazon deforestation databases such as
PRODES and DETER. In addition, it is expected that Amazonia-1 data would be
useful as well for monitoring coastal zones, reservoirs, forests, and disasters.
For this purpose, it carries on-board a wide-view optical imager capable of
observing a range swath of approximately 850 km with 60 m resolution in four
spectral bands – visible and near-infrared. The high revisiting rate is extremely
valuable in applications for deforestation monitoring and alert in the Amazon, as it
increases the likelihood of capturing useful images in the face of cloud cover in the
region. The Amazonia-1 satellite consists of two independent modules: a service
module, which is the MMP, and a payload module, which houses imaging cameras
and equipment for recording and transmitting image data. The MMP has the purpose
of bringing together in a single platform all the equipment that performs functions
necessary for the maintenance of a satellite – pointing, power generation, thermal
control, data management, and communication service.
The Amazonia-1 satellite is a very important milestone for the Brazilian space
sector, and it is scheduled for launch in 2020 on a PSLV launcher. Figure 2 shows the
Amazonia-1 through AIT at INPE and some subsystems developed and
manufactured in Brazil and in South America. This important mission is driven by
Earth Observation demands and an agenda that places national industry participation
and national capacity building in strategic technologies among the central objectives
An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in Brazil 5

Fig. 1 Schematic view of the Multi Mission Platform embedded in a Cartesian coordinate system.
On top (+Z), two magnetometers are positioned as part of the Attitude Control and Board
Supervision Subsystem – ACDH. The ACDH also contains the On Board Data Handling
(OBDH) computer (+X), the Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) computer, propulsion
control electronics ( Z), Sun sensors ( Z), star sensors (+Y), gyros (+Y), reaction wheels ( Z),
magnetorquer (+X and Y), GPS receivers ( X), and on-board control and control systems software,
embedded in their computers. The propulsion subsystem is positioned at the bottom ( Z) and
contains thrusters, valves, filters, propellant tank, pressure transducer, and pipe assembly. On the +Y
side also are positioned the antennas, part of the telemetry and remote control subsystem (TT&C),
and the transponders. On the Y side are positioned other antenna and the batteries, part of the power
supply subsystem. The power supply subsystem also contains the power distribution and condi-
tioning unit (PCDU), positioned at -X side, and the solar generator drive group (SADE and SADA),
at X and + X sides. During the nominal operation mode, the -Y face would be always pointed to
Earth. In emergency mode, the satellite attitude control would point -Z facing the Sun, in order to
warm up the propulsion subsystem elements, and two rotations per orbit would be imposed around
the Z axis, in order to distribute external heat loads equally on the lateral panels. (Courtesy image
from INPE)
6 R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa

Fig. 2 Left. The satellite Amazonia-1 through AIT at the INPE Integration and Testing Facility in
São José dos Campos. Upper right. The solar generator subsystem of the MMP fully developed and
manufactured in Brazil. Bottom center and right. Components of the MMP attitude and orbit control
and on-board supervision subsystem developed in cooperation with Argentina. (Courtesy images
from INPE)

of the Brazilian Space Program. About 60% of the budget resources destined to the
development of the Amazonia-1 satellite were destined to contracts signed by the
national industry for the development and manufacture of subsystems and equip-
ment. More specifically, the following equipment/subsystems were developed by
Brazilian companies: service and payload module structure (Cenic Engenharia),
solar generator (Orbital Engenharia), propulsion (Fibraforte), WFI Camera (Equa-
torial & Opto), X-band antenna and remote terminal unit (Omnisys Engenharia),
digital data recorder (Equatorial Sistemas), and DC/DC (AEL Sistemas). The main
technological gains for the Brazilian space program resulting from the Amazonia-1
mission are:

• The qualification of the MMP as a space system, improving reliability and

significant reductions in schedules and costs for the development of future
satellite missions based on this platform.
• Consolidation of the knowledge in Brazil of the complete cycle of development of
stabilized satellites in three axes, also gaining maturity in the activities of
integration and satellite tests.
• Development of the propulsion of the attitude and orbit control subsystem in the
national industry, although using parts acquired abroad.
• Development in the national industry of the opening mechanisms of the solar
panel.
An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in Brazil 7

Fig. 3 Wide Field Imager

(WFI) Camera developed in
Brazil. (Courtesy image from
INPE)

• Country capacity to carry out Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP).
• Reliability, as future missions will benefit from project maturity.

Together with the satellite itself, the payload subsystem was also developed and
manufactured in Brazil. The Amazonia-1 imager is a Wide Field Imager (WFI)
Camera developed and used in the CBERS Program, therefore, an equipment
already with flight heritage. The design, assembly, integration, and testing of signal
processing electronics and mechanical and thermal design, assembly, integration,
and testing of the camera were all performed in Brazil. Figure 3 shows the Amazo-
nia-1 WFI payload camera.

Brazilian Nanosatellites

Nanosatellites represent an important technology trend of the global space segment

and – in this satellite category – CubeSats are a good tracer of the growing demand
for small satellite space applications and solutions. These platforms are being used
8 R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa

for several space applications, such as education, Earth remote sensing, science, and
defense as well described and analyzed in (Villela et al. 2019).
More than a thousand CubeSats have been launched over the past two decades.
And, until the end of 2019, 16 CubeSats assembled in South America – 5 of them in
Brazil – have been launched into space. Brazilian universities are playing an
important role in proposing and developing CubeSats in Brazil. The NanoSatC-
Br1 was the first Brazilian CubeSat launched into space. It was a 1U CubeSat
proposed for studying the South American Magnetic Anomaly (Schuch et al.
2019). It was followed by Aesp-14, a 1U CubeSat for testing subsystems developed
in Brazil (Bürguer et al. 2014); Serpens, a 3U educational CubeSat for research
university experiments (Ishioka et al. 2016); Itasat, a 6U CubeSat designed to serve
as a platform for future missions as well as testing Brazilian experiments, a tran-
sponder, a GPS receiver, and a radio amateur communication device (Shibuya Sato
et al. 2019); and FloripaSat, a CubeSat carrying an ITAR-free FPGA, and a single-
event upset counter (Slongo et al. 2019). All these projects share the common goals
of capacity building, hands-on training, and Research and Development (R&D)
under university leadership. All these objects were sponsored by AEB. And the
latest object in this timeline, FloripaSat, had the opportunity of being launched as a
piggyback of another Brazilian satellite, the CBERS-4A – a remote sensing space
object with a mass of 1980 kg – in a classic example of when the AIT activities of a
CubeSat have to be synchronized with the project schedule of a much larger satellite.
An illustration displaying some Brazilian CubeSats and their respective payloads is
shown in Fig. 4.
And other missions are already in the pipeline getting ready for launch. The
NanoSatC-Br2 is a Brazilian 2U CubeSat envisaged for studying the Earth’s mag-
netic field. Sport is a NASA-AEB-INPE-ITA – Technological Institute of Aeronau-
tics (Portuguese: Instituto Tecnológico e Aeronáutica; ITA) – joint science 6U
CubeSat mission targeting space weather, more specifically, to study the precondi-
tions leading to equatorial plasma bubbles and scintillation in the ionosphere that
disrupt radio communication systems, satellite technologies, and Global Positioning
System (GPS) signals (Loures da Costa et al. 2018). The United States provides the
science instruments and launch, Brazil provides the spacecraft (a legacy from the
Itasat mission) and the operations, and the scientific data analysis is jointly done by
Brazilian and North American scientists. The Sport mission is a prime example
where a nanosatellite proves to be an excellent framework for engaging in interna-
tional collaboration.
Despite the fact that the number of CubeSat-based space missions in Brazil is still
modest, there has been an increase of initiatives resulting in a scenario where
Brazilian CubeSat missions are going beyond the goals of R&D and aim to deliver
quality data for science and services. In the proceedings of the Brazilian Aerospace
Congress held in 2019 (Anais 2019), there are several proposals for CubeSat-based
missions and nanosatellites associated technology: Raiosat is an INPE 3U CubeSat
mission aiming to detect and study lightning flashes; NanoMirax is an INPE
initiative, in partnership with a Brazilian startup, to detect cosmic explosions in X-
ray with a CubeSat platform; and Conasat is an INPE proposal for putting in place a
An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in Brazil 9

Fig. 4 Latest Brazilian CubeSats launched into space as displayed in Table 1. Top row. A picture of
the 6U Itasat protoflight model and one of the payloads, a Data Collection Transponder. Bottom row.
A picture of FloripaSat and one of the payloads, a board for testing an ITAR-free FPGA. (Courtesy
images from ITA, INPE, and UFSC)

CubeSat constellation for environmental monitoring. Furthermore, a few other mis-

sions are being proposed by different Brazilian stakeholders, for instance, Garatéa-L
is a private enterprise to send a CubeSat to the Moon; Alfa Crux is an university
initiative to establish a CubeSat constellation to provide communication links in
regions of difficult access; and Brisa is a CubeSat proposal, from a Brazilian think-
tank organization, for SWIR applications. Although a complete list of proposals
being discussed in the Brazilian community is beyond the scope of this overview, it
can surely state that these missions are a driver for further small satellite-related
research and development. Just browsing (Anais 2019), one would find ongoing
10 R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa

research in Brazil on nanosat as, for example, battery and solar panels, UHF and S-
Band antennas, space tethers, transponders, and payloads.
A survey carried out for the United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space
Technology (Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions,
Natal 2018), co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
and the Government of Brazil, identified a Brazilian network of 253 colleagues
contributing to the field of nanosatellites. Half of them held a PhD, 24% held a MSc,
23% were grad students, and 3% were high school students. This statistic clearly
shows that students are a significant part and a driving force in the Brazilian
nanosatellite community.
In parallel, the Brazilian industry is also investing efforts to explore nano-
platforms for offering their services and products. For instance, the Vcub is the
first CubeSat proposed, designed, and developed by a Brazilian company, Visiona, a
joint venture between Embraer and Telebrás, in search of a sustainable business
model, precision agriculture, for instance, based on nanosatellites. Some other
Brazilian companies (e.g., Criar Space Systems) and startups (e.g., Cron Sistemas
e Tecnologias Ltda) are also taking a chance in the nanosatellite segment.

Launch Vehicle for Small Satellites

Brazil has a long and successful tradition with sounding rockets (e.g., VSB-30). But
the country has not yet developed a national launch vehicle for inserting space
objects into a stable orbit. This is in part a fallout of the Alc^antara – Maranhão
State – accident in 2003, when an explosion, caused by the accidental ignition of 1 of
the 4 engines of the Brazilian rocket VLS, conceived for inserting small satellites
into orbit, caused the tragical death of 21 people, together with the loss of the rocket,
2 small satellites, and the surrounding infrastructure, and resulting in a setback to the
plans of a Brazilian launcher. Subsequently, a launch vehicle cooperation between
Brazil and Ukraine did not deliver results as expected, turning it into a complicated
situation to deal with. But Brazil efforts of developing a national launcher continues.
Nowadays, the Brazilian Aeronautics and Space Institute (Portuguese: Instituto
de Aeronáutica e Espaço; IAE) is developing a Microsatellite Launch Vehicle named
VLM. In order to achieve this objective, Brazil has developed and qualified a solid
rocket motor, named S-44, with a performance of about 38kN of average thrust and
277 s of vacuum specific impulse, and is qualifying a solid rocket engine, named S-
50, designed to have about 440kN of average thrust and 266 s of sea level specific
impulse. Considering the current status of development of the S-50 solid rocket
motor, some concepts for a Brazilian launch vehicle configuration to deliver small
satellites to low-Earth orbit – from the Alc^antara Launch Center, Brazil – would be
capable of sending payloads in the range of 350–750 kg in a variety of orbit
inclinations, as described in details in (da Cas et al. 2019). If Brazil succeeds in
this endeavor, the strategic importance of small satellites for the Brazilian space
program would be greater than ever.
An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in Brazil 11

Similar to what happens to nanosatellites, new stakeholders are also taking a

chance in the launch vehicle segment. For instance, the Acrux Aerospace Technol-
ogies is a Brazilian startup proposing a rocket for small satellites.
Additionally, Brazil and the United States have celebrated in 2019 a technology
safeguards agreement (TSA) in order to allow commercial launch activities from the
Alc^antara Launch Center. There is expectation that with this TSA in place, Brazil
would play a part in the launch market, including offers of access to space for small
satellites.

Educational Initiatives

Small satellites are an excellent venue for promoting space science and technology
education, and AEB has been exploring them to conduct STEM activities, organize
workshops and events, as well as continuously promote human capacity building for
national space activities.
In 2017, AEB inaugurated in Natal, a space camp named CVT-E – Space
Technological Vocational Center (Portuguese: Centro Vocacional Tecnológico
Espacial; CVT-E) – located in the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center (Portuguese:
Centro de Lançamento da Barreira do Inferno; CLBI) (Goncalves and Gurgel Veras
2016). The CVT-E has proven to be an important vector for educational social
inclusion through space science and STEAM activities. Through hands-on activities
based on interdisciplinary core principles, students have the opportunity to learn
about the importance of space activities for the country and the world. In addition,
they can know a little about the last projects developed in the space area and about
what are the first steps to specialize in this area in the future. Some activities
performed at CVT-E are rover workshops, CanSat (development, assembly, testing,
clean room, operation, etc.), planetary sessions, and studies about space transporta-
tion, launch centers, astronomy, astronautics, and other relevant subjects. Over 3000
elementary and high school students have attended the CVT-E experience through-
out 2018 and 2019. An example of an educational outcome of this center, a CanSat
kit developed by CVT-E students, was presented at the second International Acad-
emy of Astronautics Latin American Symposium on Small Satellites (Guedes et al.
2019).
Another important educational initiative is a picosatellite developed by students
from the Tancredo de Almeida Neves public school in Ubatuba, São Paulo, with
technological support from INPE. The project has seen encouraging results toward
promoting students interest in engineering, science, and technology, especially in
Aerospace Engineering, by the assembly, integration, testing, coding, and launch of
a picosatellite. This also promotes teamwork among different levels of education
because some activities are being developed by elementary school students, others
are planned for technical students, and some are even within the scope of grad
students. The project has received recognition from the national and international
scientific community. Tancredo-1 is the first picosatellite of the UbatubaSat project,
and it is a compact tube-shaped picosatellite with a mass of less than 0.6 kg based on
12 R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa

TubeSat kit from Interorbital Systems (IOS). It was successfully launched in 2016
toward the Japanese Kibo module of ISS – International Space Station. Once at
Kibo, deployment and final ejection were performed in January 2017 followed by
ground operations. The picosat carries an educational voice recorder and an exper-
imental Langmuir probe from INPE’s Ionosphere research group on Plasma Bubbles
(Tikami et al. 2017). The UbatubaSat project is already preparing a second object
named Tancredo-2.
It is also worth mentioning that the Amazonia-1 has been providing hands-on
learning toward fostering qualified professionals. Since 2016, about 130 profes-
sionals have had an opportunity to get involved in activities of integration and
testing, space project management, and product assurance, through satellites being
integrated at INPE.

Conclusions

The miniaturization of space devices is changing in profound ways how space

activities are approached and conducted worldwide, and the Brazilian space sector
is no exception. A case in point of size reduction is clearly seen when we track the
evolution of transponders for a long and continuous Brazilian demand for environ-
mental data collected with space systems. In order to attend this demand, the SCD-1
carried an analog transponder of 3.8 kg mass needed for fulfilling its mission of
collecting data from platforms distributed over the Brazilian territory. Twenty-five
years later, Itasat embarked a digital transponder of just 0.3 kg, developed by INPE,
for the same task. More recently, INPE has developed another digital transponder,
named Environmental Data Collector, of just about 75 g, for the exact same task on-
board the Conasat mission. A small payload getting even smaller. A reduction in
mass of 98% with respect to the very first device for targeting the same objective.
AEB is exploring synergies between small and large satellites. The SGDC – a more
than 5 tonne satellite – has provided spin-offs through a transfer of technology from
France to Brazil that allowed six Brazilian companies, AEL Sistemas, Cenic
Engenharia, Equatorial Sistemas, Fibraforte, Opto Space & Defense, and Orbital
Engenharia, to improve and advance industry know-how on satellite-related technol-
ogy such as panels for optical instruments, propulsion system for attitude control,
thermal interface material and control systems, solar panels, electric power, on-board
systems, and optical instruments for Earth Observation. This transfer of technology is
an investment and an asset for future small satellite missions, in a moment when there
is growing demand in Brazil for small satellites, and a handful of future Brazilian space
missions is prospecting the use of small platforms – Equars (space weather), Carponis
(remote sensing), Lessonia (SAR), and Atticora (communications).
AEB has put in place a set of initiatives – from general-to-specific with an end-to-
end approach – to promote small satellites, starting with space science activities toward
middle/high school students and teachers (e.g., CVT-E); space research toward
university professors and students (e.g., CubeSats); and hands-on learning in Brazil-
ian space projects toward fostering qualified professionals (e.g., Amazonia-1).
An Overview of Small Satellite Initiatives in Brazil 13

This chapter has provided an overview of past and ongoing small satellite-related
initiatives in Brazil. As discussed through the chapter, there is growing demand in
Brazil for small satellites, especially those that attend qualified demands. Small
satellites have also plenty to offer in terms of continuous human resources training.
New stakeholders (universities, industry, startups, think-tank) are contributing to the
advancement of the field (services, applications, innovation), as well as promoting
international partnerships. Last but not least, small satellites are an important driver
for a Brazilian launch vehicle development effort.

Cross-References

▶ CleanSats and Efforts to Develop New Techniques for Space Debris Removal
▶ Planet’s Dove Satellite Constellation
▶ Remove Debris Small Satellite Project
▶ The Capella Satellite System
▶ The Kepler Satellite System
▶ The OneWeb Satellite System
▶ The Spire Small Satellite Network

Acknowledgments The authors thank Dr. Adenilson Roberto da Silva, INPE, Brazil, and Jośe
Machao, Telecom Argentina, for useful discussions and insights for this chapter and thank Bernardo
dos Santos Veras, Fernanda Muro, and Renato de Brito do Nascimento Filho, AEB, for helping with
formatting figures and double-checking facts. Although R. Leonardi and A. E. A. Corrêa are
directly involved in some of the initiatives reported in this overview chapter, the authors acknowl-
edge that this summary is mostly a compilation of third-party studies and work and express their
gratitude for the Brazilian space community that support and carry on small satellites activities in
the country. Finally, the authors thank Dr. Joseph N. Pelton for motivating them to share some
aspects of the Brazilian space activities among colleagues and people interested in the field.

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