Brazil, Russia sign agreement to monitor space debris

Representatives from the Russian Space Agency visited Brazil's National Astrophysics Laboratory (LNA) Thursday (Apr. 7) to sign an agreement for monitoring space debris. The two countries will cooperate to set up a telescope at Pico dos Dias Observatory in Brazópolis, Minas Gerais. Russia will provide a $2.7 million investment, whereas Brazil will provide the facilities to operate the equipment and cover operating costs including energy and internet.

The partnership is part of the second stage in a study conducted by Russia. The country already had a telescope for mapping space junk, but needed a partner in the southern hemisphere. Negotiations with Brazil were favored by the good relationship between the two governments, which already had an agreement in place for peaceful space use.

Located about 1,800m above sea level, Pico dos Dias observatory was an appealing choice for Russians. “We want telescopes in Brazil and Russia to be in a position where they can produce complementary imagery. We are conveniently located and our sky is particularly suitable for observations,” explained LNA Director Bruno Castilho.

The paths of space debris is a crucial consideration when launching satellites. “NASA estimates about 50,000 chunks of debris from satellites and rockets are orbiting around the Earth. This figure covers only larger chunks, but there are countless pieces that can be as small as a tennis ball. The problem is, all this waste can travel at high speeds, and crashes with satellites could be destructive, leading to money and time wastes that can be very costly for science,” said Castilho.

Currently, in order to launch new devices into orbit, Brazil needs to adhere to NASA's recommendations. However, the US agency does not provide details. Based on the information that will be made available through the agreement with Russia, Brazil will be able to make better choices and pick less potentially hazardous orbit paths. Furthermore, they will be able to forecast the risk of space junk falling to the Earth.

Housed under the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (MCTI), the National Astrophysics Laboratory is a Brazilian research unit that has been active since 1985. Headquartered in Itajubá, Minas Gerais, it has the mission of providing the scientific community with advanced services for in-depth studies. Its facilities include the Pico dos Dias Observatory, which had the largest telescope in operation in Brazil, which will now be second to the Russian technology provided under the agreement.

The new, 75cm-aperture telescope will cover a wider field of view and will be able to map a larger area than any other telescope in Brazil. It is expected to start operating in November, and the imagery generated by the equipment may also support further studies on asteroids, comets, stars, etc.

All data and photos will be available to Brazilian researchers.

*With additional reporting by Márcia Bueno, reporter for Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte.

Translated by Mayra Borges