The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) finalized, this Wednesday (25/05), the launch of the first satellites of the Lessonia-1 Project.
The two Remote Sensing Radar (SRR) satellites, called Carcará I and Carcará II, were launched using a Falcon 9 rocket, from SpaceX, at the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, in the United States (USA).
In Brazil, the operation was accompanied by the Space Operations Center (COPE), in Brasília (DF), with a live broadcast on SpaceX's official YouTube channel.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Defense, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, the Commander of the Brazilian Air Force, Lieutenant Brigadier Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior, Ministers of State, General Officers of the Brazilian Navy, the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Air Force, in addition to other authorities.
The images captured by the satellites will be used to the fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining, updating cartographic products, determining the navigability of rivers, viewing fires, monitoring natural disasters, monitoring the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and ing surveillance and border control operations, among other capabilities.
In his speech, the Minister of Defense highlighted the benefits that this technological advance will bring to the country.
“The Amazon region will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of permanent monitoring and greater precision in essential information for strategic decisions. I highlight the dual use of these satellites with military and civil applications, which reiterates the historic contribution of the armed forces to national development and the well-being of the Brazilian people. We have President Bolsonaro to thank for his unrestricted for the project, which is now a reality, and for the broad endorsement he has always bestowed on the Armed Forces’ strategic programs and projects”, stressed.
The Commander of the Brazilian Air Force explained that this is an important step towards knowledge and control of our territory.
“ICEYE's satellites will use radar technology to monitor our territory, this technology allows observing the terrain even when there is cloud cover. They are more precise than satellites that scan optically, which have a more limited reading, because they do not “pierce” the clouds and restrict our ability to monitor regions like the Amazon”He explained.
Lessonia Project – 1
It consists of acquiring a constellation of low orbit satellites. With dual use, they aim to meet the operational needs of the Armed Forces, the Management and Operational Center of the Amazon Protection System (CENSIPAM), as well as government agencies.
The Lessonia Project's imaging system uses an Active Detection Sensor capable of generating very high resolution images, which can be obtained at any time of the day or night, regardless of weather conditions, as the emitted signal es through the clouds. In this way, it is possible to continuously monitor areas of interest in Brazil.
The satellites were contracted and purchased from the Finnish company ICEYE, in 2020, under the management of the current Federal Government, with funds from the Ministry of Defense budget, developed and manufactured throughout 2021.
The Lessonia Project is part of the Strategic Space Systems Program (PESE). Implemented by the Coordinating Commission of the Combat Aircraft Program (COPAC), FAB's Military Organization, it provides dual products (civilian and military) to be used in an integrated manner for the benefit of the entire Brazilian society.
Seeking to fully comply with the strategic program of space systems, in the future, it is also planned to deploy a set of satellites, manufactured in Brazil, to obtain optical images, which will complement the capacity of the Ministry of Defense to image the national territory, serving , thus, to all government demands.
Satellite characteristics
- Dimensions: 1m³
- Weight: 100kg
- Solar s: 5
- Power: 300W
Source: Brazilian air force
