"The launch with PSLV in 2020 is definite but the date and month has yet to be decided as it is dependent on the calendar of the Indian space agency ISRO."
"Designed, assembled and experienced in Brazil, the Amazonia-1 satellite will be the first satellite for Earth inspection. And, Amazonia-1 will be the primary consignment, not a hitch-hike satellite."
Sharing her views Dr Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Head, Nuclear and Space Policy inventiveness, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said, "The emerging trend of South American nations impending ISRO may not essentially be a result of India's doing – it is more of a commercial deliberation than otherwise. The fact that India offers believable economically sufficient satellite launches is a big appeal for these countries."
"India's unbeaten Mars mission in 2014 in particular highlighted the growing superiority of India's space programme and has had the effect of pushing many countries to look at India as a achievable objective for their satellite launches in a cost effective manner."
According to Rajagopalan, "ISRO and its commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd could do more outreach to attract more global partners as the size of the global space market is likely to increase particularly in Africa and South America. The global trends to contravention big satellite constellation also favour ISRO's PSLV."
As reported earlier, at the 6th BRICS peak in 2014, both India and Brazil had inked agreement for setting up a Brazilian earth station that will obtain data from Indian satellites. ISRO previously has the facility to impart instruction on how to operate the station and gather data through remote sensing, which will be used by Brazilian scientists for training.
Since early 2000s, many documents for space collaboration are signed at government-level and at space agency level between India and Brazil. Brazil received data from India's Resourcesat-1 satellite during October 2009 to September 2013 and currently getting data from Resourcesat-2 since October 2014.
Ground stations in Brazil (Alcantara and Cuiaba) provided tracking maintain for Indian satellite (Chandrayaan-I, Megha Tropiques, MOM, and ASTROSAT) on profitable basis.
According to the official website of The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) of Brazil, it has recently completed the process for constricting the services with US company Spaceflight Inc that will put Amazonia-1, the first fully-designed earth surveillance satellite assembled and tested in Brazil, into orbit.
Amazonia-1 is currently in the pre-launch phase of the Incorporation and Testing Laboratory (ITL) of INPE. Outlining the purpose of the Amazonia-1, the INPE says that the images of the Brazilian satellite will be used to observe and monitor deforestation especially in the Amazon region, as well as the diversify undergrowth and agriculture throughout the national territory.
The Amazon assignment will provide remote sensing data (images) to observe and monitor deforestation especially in the Amazon region, as well as the diversified agriculture throughout the country with a high rate of revisit, seeking to work in synergy with obtainable environmental programs.