On February 28 at 04:54 UTC, the first Brazillian-built remote sensing satellite, Amazônia-1, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization, also known as ISRO, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in South India. The rocket used for this mission was PSLV-C51, a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket in the DL configuration of two strap-on boosters.

This was India’s first launch of 2021, coming after two launches in November and December 2020. Like many space agencies, ISRO’s activities have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amazônia-1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under ISRO.

Amazônia-1 was designed, built, and tested by the Brazil National Institute of Space Research. It is based on a modular spacecraft bus called the MultiMission Platform. The main instrument on Amazônia-1 is a multi-spectral sensor that can image in optical and near-infrared bands, with a ground resolution of forty meters in a 754-kilometer wide swath. The satellite will provide remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.

In addition to Amazônia-1, the rocket carried eighteen CubeSat co-passengers. These included NanoConnect 2, SindhuNetra, SDSAT, 3 UNITYsats, and 12 SpaceBEEs (0.25U CubeSats that provide communications for Internet of Things devices).

More Information

ISRO press release

PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 Brochure (ISRO)

Conference paper (ResearchGate)

Launch video