Sao Paulo (AFP)
The first 100% Brazilian satellite, Amazonia 1, which will provide data on deforestation, was launched in India on Sunday, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) announced.
INPE announced "the successful launch of Amazonia 1 at 01:54 (04:54 GMT) this Sunday from the Satish Dhawan space center in Sriharikota, India".
Amazonia 1 will be the third satellite to join the DETER system, INPE's Brazilian Amazon rainforest real-time deforestation monitoring program.
"Amazonia 1 will provide images for environmental and agricultural monitoring throughout the Brazilian territory (...). It will also serve to monitor the coastal region, water reserves, environmental disasters, among other applications ", detailed the INPE which worked for eight years in the development of the national satellite.
Amazonia, 1,637 kilos for 44.4 meters, will transmit images every five days.
"National production, national design, national use", welcomed the Minister of Science and Technology, Marcos Pontes, on social networks on the eve of the launch.
The Brazilian Amazon rainforest lost 8,426 km2 in 2020 due to deforestation.
Although this figure is 8% lower than the previous year, it remains extremely worrying in the opinion of specialists who question the policies of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
INPE receives daily low-resolution satellite images of forest clearing, agricultural expansion and land use, and can quickly alert police to suspicious activity.
© 2021 AFP