As many of its neighbours pull back on cooperation with China to ease relations with the US, Brazil is doubling down, moving ahead with two major joint projects on space, reports online newspaper Brasil de Fato.
China and Brazil have begun work on a joint laboratory for space technologies, Chinese state-owned defence electronics firm China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) said Tuesday. Technical teams from Brazil and China are preparing for the installation of the lab, expected to be a hub of scientific exchange and collaboration for the two countries.
Operated by CETC in partnership with Brazil’s Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG) and the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), it will focus on the development of technologies for astronomical observation, radio astronomy and deep space exploration.
The China–Brazil Joint Laboratory for Radio Astronomy Technology will allow Brazilian researchers to work with CETC on scientific frontier projects and training in strategic areas, including instrumentation, antennas, sensors and data processing.
[See more: NASA bars Chinese nationals from its space programs amid a new ‘space race’]
China and Brazil are also making progress on the BINGO radio telescope, billed as South America’s largest radio telescope. The main structure of the 40-metre transit radio telescope was completed at a manufacturing site in China in June, according to CETC, then shipped from the port of Tianjin to Brazil. BINGO is scheduled for completion in 2026.
In addition to its research capabilities, BINGO will also be able to track satellites, meteoroids and other small bodies. CETC said it could even help identify potential threats from near-Earth objects.
The US government argued in a 2022 Defense Intelligence Agency report that such powerful telescopes could be used to predict when US military satellites pass overhead and help coordinate the use of anti-satellite weapons.
Such concerns about potential military applications brought a planned Chinese observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert to a halt in April. Another joint radio telescope project, this one with Argentina, was suspended indefinitely in November as the country courted a US-funded bailout. Brazil’s steadfast commitment stands out, particularly in light of steep tariff hikes by the US that only recently eased.
