Brazilian satellite launch marks beginning of stronger ties

with India, says visiting Minister
Sriharikota (AP), The successful launch of Brazil's home
grown earth observation satellite Amazonia-1 by ISRO from this
spaceport on Sunday is the beginning of a stronger
relationship between the country and India, a top Minister
from the South American nation said here on Sunday.
Speaking after the launch by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) onboard its PSLV-C51 rocket, Brazilian
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Marcos Pontes
said the mission was very important for his country.
Amazonia-1, the first Brazilian satellite launched from
India, is an optical earth observation satellite intended to
provide remote sensing data to users for monitoring
deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified
agriculture across the Brazilian territory.
"First of all it is one more satellite to monitor the
country, the Amazon (forests). It represents a new era of
Brazilian industry for satellite development in Brazil", he
said addressing scientists at the Mission Control Centre in
the presence of ISRO Chairman K Sivan.
"It is a very happy day. We have been working on the
satellite for many years. And all this represents a very
important moment. All this efforts made by so many people in
our National Institute for Space Research and our Brazilian
Space Agency," he said.
Pontes, also a former astronaut, said" "It could not be a
better place than to be here in India. This is one important
step in this partnership that is going to grow up very much."
Appreciating ISRO for the successful launch, he said,
India and Brazil would work together a lot.
"...seeing the two flags (of Brazil and India on the
podium), exactly represents what we are doing today. Beginning
of a stronger relationship. I am talking here on behalf of the
Brazilian government. We are going to work together and we are
going to win together..", he added.
NewSpace India Ltd Chairman G Narayanan said while it
had its presence in three missions of PSLV through customer
observation payloads earlier, today's was the first dedicated
project of NSIL and that of a first fully Brazilian built
earth observation satellite.
"We thank the National Institute of Space Research,
Brazil, for the faith imposed in ISRO and NSIL... we sincerely
acknowledge the specific interactions we had with the National
Institute of Space Research", he said. PTI VIJ
VS VS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)