The Brazilian Space Agency, known by the Portuguese acronym AEB, is the civilian authority responsible for the space program of Brazil, operating a spaceport at Alcantara and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno, and it is described as the largest and most prominent space agency in Latin America. It is the institutional successor to a program managed by the Brazilian military until transfer to civilian control on 10 February 1994, and it suffered a major setback in 2003 when a rocket explosion killed 21 technicians. Brazil launched its first rocket into space, the VSB-30, on 23 October 2004 from the Alcantara Launch Center, and in 2006 AEB astronaut Marcos Pontes became the first Brazilian and the first native Portuguese speaker to reach the International Space Station; in June 2021 the agency signed the Artemis Accords for joint exploration of the Moon and Mars from 2024.
Facts
Agency TypeNational civilian space agency 1 Founded Year HeadquartersBrasília, Federal District, Brazil 1 HeadMarco Antonio Chamon (Administrator) 1 Annual BudgetR$180 million (approximately US$45 million) for 2019 1 FAQs
Why has the Brazilian Space Agency struggled to turn the Alcântara Launch Center into a commercial launch site?
A small budget and restrictions on launching rockets with United States technology kept Alcântara underused until a 2019 safeguards agreement.
Two limits are named by the Wilson Center. The agency works on a small budget: in 2015 it received about 70 million dollars, against 1.16 billion for the Indian space agency and 17.4 billion for NASA, and in 2019 the approved budget was about 45 million dollars (180 million reais). Brazil also never achieved its long-asserted goal of building a satellite launch vehicle, and the Alcântara Launch Center has stayed underused in part because of longstanding restrictions on using United States technology at the site. Most space equipment contains United States parts, so launches need a Technological Safeguards Agreement between the two countries. Brazil's lower house passed an updated agreement on 22 October 2019 by 329 votes to 86, and the Senate approved it on 12 November 2019.
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Source Wikipedia: Brazilian Space AgencyLead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira; AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Brazilian Space Agency
WikipediaWikipedia lead sentence
The Brazilian Space Agency (...; AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program.
Wikipedia body, paragraph 2
which had been managed by the Brazilian military until its transfer to civilian control on 10 February 1994
Wikipedia infobox, headquarters field
headquarters = Brasília, Distrito Federal
Wikipedia infobox, administrator field, citing gov.br
administrator = Marco Antonio Chamon
Wilson Center article, 'Brazil's Space Program: Finally Taking Off?', 24 October 2019
in 2019, the approved budget was approximately $45 million (R$ 180 million).
In Group: Brazilian Space Agencies and Companies, Lead sentence
The Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira; AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program.
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