By Gabriel Araujo
SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil (Reuters) – Brazilian aerospace company Visiona expects to advance in its satellite business at a time when the South American country indicates it is looking to expand its presence in the industry.
Visiona on Friday revealed for the first time images obtained by a nanosatellite it launched last year, the VCUB1, Brazil’s first locally designed Earth observation and data collection satellite.
“What we want is for Brazil to no longer see satellites as science fiction, but as things that can solve our day-to-day problems related to environment, agriculture, planning deficit,” Chief Executive Joao Paulo Campos said in an interview.
Brazil’s government has been pushing to increase its footprint in the aerospace sector, which it sees as key for national security and the development of local technologies.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva earlier this month proposed creating a new state-run aerospace firm named Alada.
Visiona is a joint-venture between planemaker Embraer, which owns 51%, and state-controlled telecom firm Telebras.
It launched the VCUB1 nanosatellite in April 2023, and says that its first images prove the equipment is working and lay the ground for other projects to advance, including the larger SatVHR satellite it is now developing.
Established in 2012, Visiona had previously participated in Brazil’s $500 million program for the Thales-built Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite (SGDC) launched in 2017.
“Great countries always have great space infrastructure,” Campos said in an interview. “Brazil – where the environment is essential, agriculture is essential – is the country that can benefit the most from satellites.”
Visiona also has a lucrative satellite-based services arm serving both public and private sectors with projects in areas such as agriculture, oil & gas, utilities and financial services.
Clients include the Maranhao state government, pulp giants Suzano and Klabin, energy major Raizen and miner Vale.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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