Electronic Proceedings - United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Brazilian Launch Licensing and Authorizing RegimesJosé Monserrat Filho*Why and how did Brazil enact legal acts, elaborated and approved by the Brazilian SpaceAgency (AEB), on license and authorization procedures for private space launching fromnational territory? What are the main characteristics of these acts? Do they work?Answering such questions is the purpose of this presentation.1. IntroductionFirstly, let me inform you that Brazil has two spaceports:1) Barreira do Inferno Rocket Range (CLFBI), at Natal, capital of the state of Rio Grandedo Norte, in the northeast of the country, 5.30º south of the Equator, inaugurated onDecember 15, 1965, with the launch of a Nike-Apache, a small U.S. Rocket, in a jointoperation with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Thus, thefirst rocket launched from Brazilian territory was a U.S. one. Barreira do Inferno has alreadylaunched approximately 400 sounding rockets. It maintains close co-operation with theEuropean Space Agency as a tracking station for all Ariane launches from Kourou, since thefirst such launch in 1979.2) Alcantara Launch Center (CLA), conceived in 1979, opened for operations in 1990, islocated in the state of Maranhao in the north of Brazil, in a very privileged area of 620 km²,only 2.18º south of the Equator. This location permits launches to the east with great fuelsavings, thanks to the considerable contribution of the Earth’s rotation in relation to thetangential velocity of the vehicle. It also offers conditions considered excellent for launch toequatorial and polar orbits. This is an advantage, in relation to the majority of the world’sexisting launch sites or centers, for launch into equatorial Geo-stationary Transfer Orbits.Moreover, the CLA’s position in relation to the sea favours launches into all azimuths withoutthe need to fly over inhabited regions. It allows the achievement of the most varied satellitemissions. More than 200 sounding rockets have been launched from the CLA. (1)That’s why when we speak about private launches from Brazilian territory, we haveactually in mind private launches from the CLA. More than ever it is quite clear that the CLAprovides valuable benefits, the most promising space service Brazil can offer to the globaleconomy.2. Major motivation– To launch the CLA into the world market.– To make good use of its advantageous geographical situation.– To offer competitive launching alternative to foreign private enterprises.– To attract foreign State and private investments to participate in these profitableactivities.These aims changed the Brazilian space policy (2), especially in the second half of the1990s. At the same time, the need arose to regulate domestically these kinds of activities.Brazil would have to incorporate into national law the legal principles included in Articles VI,158