Brazil govt ecstatic as ISRO's rocket places its Amazonia-1 satellite in orbit; hails ties

ISRO successfully completed its first launch of 2021 on Sunday. The headline payload was Brazil's 637-kg Amazonia-1 optical earth observation satellite. Amazonia-1 was placed in orbit seventeen minutes after its lift-off aboard the PSLV-C51 rocket and a minute after the rocket's PS4 engine cut off.

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51) carrying Brazil's Amazonia-1 as its primary passenger also facilitated the launch of 18-other student satellites as part of its mission under ISRO's National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe ). Amazonia-1 along with the other satellites will monitor deforestation and study the diverse agriculture of Brazilian lands. 

The rocket journeyed for two hours and eight minutes as it placed all its satellites in orbits, in approximately four minutes. ISRO immediately took it to Twitter and announced the successful completion of the mission and wrote, "All co-passenger satellites separated from #PSLVC51. Mission accomplished.."

READ | ISRO Successfully Launches PSLV-C51; Brazil's Amazonia-1 satellite Injected Into Orbit

Hailing the efforts of Indian and Brazilian contributors for this mission, ISRO Chief K Sivan said "In this mission, India and ISRO, feel extremely proud, honoured and happy to launch the first satellite designed, integrated and operated by Brazil. I congratulate the Brazilian team on this achievement. The satellite is in very good health and I congratulate all for this and compliment the entire Brazilian team."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter where he congratulated ISRO on its first dedicated commercial launch of PSLV-C51/ Amazonia-1 mission. Here's the tweet

The other co-passenger satellites onboard the Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 include an Indian technology demonstration satellite 'SindhuNetra', a technology demonstration satellite from the US 'SAI-1 NanoConnect-2', and 12 satellites to establish two-way satellite communications that are named 'SpaceBEEs'.

Brazil's Amazonia-1 Satellite

The earth observatory satellite of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) will fetch remote sensing data to users that will be further utilised to monitor deforestation in the Amazon region and the diverse agriculture across the Brazilian territory will also be analysed, said Marcos Ceaser Pontes, Brazil's Minister for Science, Technology, and Innovation at the launch event. 
Pontes stressed that the successful placement of Amazonia-1 in the orbit was very important for Brazil's overall development. He added "It represents a new era for the Brazilian Satellite Industry. There could be no better place than to bein India with all our partnerships and this is one step for the partnership that will be going to grow. We are going to work together, a lot. Today is the beginning of stronger relations between both countries."

READ | ISRO To Launch PSLV-C51 On February 28 With 1 Brazil & 20 Indian Satellites Onboard

The Twitter handle of INPE also acknowledged the successful placement of Amazonia-1 in the orbit and tweeted "Successfully launched Amazonia 1, the first national Earth observation satellite." Moreover, this is the first dedicated commercial mission by a company of the Indian government — NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), under the Department of Space. The NSIL has undertaken the mission abiding by a commercial arrangement with America's Spaceflight Inc.

Meanwhile, a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been engraved on the top panel of the satellite as a promotion for PM's Aatmanirbhar (Self-reliant) initiative. The rocket is also embedded with an SD microchip that has Bhagavad Gita stored in it. 

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