Brazil Space Industry
Brazil creates new state-owned enterprise and space legislation to boost its launch capacity.
In December 2024 the Brazilian Government approved a bill (PL 3.819/2024) creating a new state-owned enterprise, “Alada”, to expand Brazil’s role in the global space market and to increase the Alcantara Launch Center launch capacity. Alada will be responsible for managing commercial launches from the Alcantara Launch Center located in the state of Maranhão, one of the best-positioned launch centers in the world for the delivery of geostationary satellites, with great potential for commercial exploitation.
The creation of SOE Alada follows other significant activity the Brazilian government is pursuing to support the country’s goal of becoming a more important player in the world satellite launch market. This new regulated environment will unlock business opportunities to US companies export services and technology in space logistics, fuel, transportation, integration, systems and subsystems, accommodation and other related fields.
In July 2024, Brazil approved its new space legislation (law 14.946/2024) regulating civilian space activities within the country. The law covers space activities including launch vehicle take-off, re-entry, transportation of people and equipment to space, development of space objects, space tourism, exploration of celestial bodies, and space debris removal. Alada will be a subsidiary of NAV Brasil, a state-owned company linked to the Ministry of Defense, created in 2020 to manage air navigation services. https://www.navbrasil.gov.br/
In March 2019, Brazil and the United States signed a Technology Safeguards Agreement that allows the use of U.S. technology in space launches from Brazil, specifically the Alcantara Launch Center in Maranhão.
U.S. companies interested in doing business in the Brazilian space sector should contact the U.S. Department of Commerce: Daniele Andrews, Senior Commercial Specialist for the Space sector in Brazil. E-mail: daniele.andrews@trade.gov