Brazil recently gave “the green light” to a project that will allow Israel to launch its satellites from the Alcantara space station in northeastern Brazil.
The space partnership is the centerpiece of a larger program that was initiated by Brazil’s minister of science and technology and Israel’s Ambassador to Brazil Daniel Gazit, earlier this month in Brazil.
“They want our knowledge and we want their location,” said Michal Ogolnik, spokeswoman for Israel’s minister of science and technology.
She said that Alcantara is an ideal place to conduct space research because it is close to the equator. Israel currently launches satellites from other countries, which Ogolnik could not name.
Brazil has tried three times to launch satellites into space, but has never been successful.
Their last attempt caused an explosion that killed 21 people on Friday.
No Israelis were involved in the explosion, according to Brazilian and Israeli sources.
Following the accident, Brazil’s government vowed to investigate the launch and continue their space program.
Israel will only start transporting satellite equipment to Brazil in 2 years, Ogolnik said. Other aspects of the project’s implementation have not yet been finalized, she added.
Representatives of the Brazilian Space Agency said that they could not elaborate on their involvement in the project as they were occupied with matters related to the explosion.
This is the first space-related partnership between Israel and Brazil.