(From left to right) Carlos Augusto Teixeira de Moura, president, Brazilian Space Agency; Nestor Forster Jr., Ambassador of Brazil; and Max Peterson, vice president, world wide public sector, AWS. Photo: AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) have signed an agreement to support the economic development of Brazil’s space industry. AWS said this agreement is the first of its kind for the company in Latin America. 

The statement of strategic intent and cooperation, announced Feb. 17, focuses on three areas. AEB and AWS have agreed to establish national space R&D programs, and AWS plans to offer access to the AWS Activate Program and the AWS Activate Founders Program for startups. AWS is also offering an open data sponsorship program, creating a centralized repository of space data for collaboration. In addition, the two organizations will collaborate on policy and regulatory measures to support Brazil’s national space program. 

“The agreement between the Brazilian Space Agency and Amazon Web Services is a concrete initiative towards greater integration of the Brazilian private sector and our aerospace industry with the American innovation ecosystem, the most advanced in the world in the space area,” said the Brazil’s Ambassador in Washington, Nestor Forster Jr. “The Embassy will remain committed to strengthening space cooperation with the United States, which produces results for Brazil in the economic and technological spheres.” 

Carlos Augusto Teixeira de Moura, president of the Brazilian Space Agency, said the agreement comes as Brazil is looking to increase its presence in the space market, including bringing launch capabilities to the Alcântara Spaceport on the country’s northern coast. 

Alcântara is located just two degrees south of the Equator, a location that makes it one of only a few continental spaceports in the world capable of reaching any orbital inclination. Yet the spaceport has remained mostly inactive due to past launch failures, failed international partnerships, and its proximity to the European Spaceport in French Guiana. Last year, Brazil signed an agreement with Virgin Orbit to bring orbital launch to the spaceport.