Agência Brasil
Brasília – Brazil and Ukraine have signed an agreement worth US$80 million to finance the construction of the necessary infrastructure for rocket launches at the Alcantara base in Maranhão, in the northeast of Brazil.
According to minister of Defense, Jose Viegas, the money will be spent over a three- year period so as to make it possible to launch Brazilian and Ukraine rockets, as well as use the rocket base for launches by other nations.
According to Viegas, the agreement is important as it puts Brazil in the company of a country with cutting edge technology in the sector. "This is an important step toward making Alcantara an international launch center, besides an opportunity to share technology," said the minister. He explained that the advantage for Ukraine is that they do not have a launch center.
Viegas said the understandings with Ukraine could result in another attempt by Brazil to build its own satellite vehicle.
Besides the space agreement, a number of other accords were signed by Brazil and Ukraine, in the areas of defense and on extradictions. The president of Ukraine is in Brazil for an official visit. Koutchama is in Brazil for the second time. He was here in 1995.
