The Aerospace Operations Command ( pt, Comando de Operações Aeroespaciais - COMAE) is a Brazilian air and space command created in 2017 and is part of the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

. Is responsible for planning, coordinating, executing and controlling the country's air and space operations. The

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= " Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship '' Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious ...

and Brazilian Army also are part of the organization.

Mission

The COMAE was formed as a Brazilian Air Force command with the main mission of oversee all air and space operations in the country and includes personnel from the Brazilian Army and

. Other missions include the operations of

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

s in orbit for imagery intelligence,

military communications Military communications or military signals involve all aspects of communications, or conveyance of information, by armed forces. Military communications span from pre-history to the present. The earliest military communications were delivered b ...

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

and

earth observation Earth observation (EO) is the gathering of information about the physical, chemical, and biological systems of the planet Earth. It can be performed via remote-sensing technologies (Earth observation satellites) or through direct-contact sensors ...

roles in joint operation with the Brazilian Space Agency and the National Institute for Space Research from the Space Operations Center (COPE), and other facilities in the country, also orbital and sub-orbital launches from the

Alcântara Space Center The Alcântara Space Center ( pt, Centro Espacial de Alcântara, CEA), former known as ''Alcântara Launch Center'' ( pt, Centro de Lançamento de Alcântara,) is a space center and launching facility of the Brazilian Space Agency in the city o ...

. The organization also contributes to the sovereignty of airspace and to the integration of the national territory through air tracking systems such the

CINDACTA The air traffic control centers of Brazil are known by the acronym CINDACTA, or "Centro Integrado de Defesa Aérea e Controle de Tráfego Aéreo (Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center). Four CINDACTAs are in operation, located in fo ...

, similitar system to the North American

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

Brazilian aerospace assets

The Brazilian Armed Forces and other federal agencies possesses several major aerospace military and scientific assets:

Satellites

*Earth observation and reconnaissance: ** CBERS - 2 in operation, 3 retiredThe Launch of CBERS-2B
National Institute for Space Research. Retrieved on 2011-01-17. ** SCD - 2 in operationSatélite de Coleta de Dados - SCD
GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2011-01-17. ** GEOMET - 1 planned *Military communications and multi-mission platform: ** SGDC - 1 in operation, more 1 planned ** Amazônia - 1 in operation, more 2 planned ** Lessonia - 2 in operation ** SABIA-Mar - 2 planned *Remote sensing: ** Carponis - 1 planned *Space weather: ** LATTES - 1 planned

Orbital and sub-orbital launchers

*Orbital launchers: **

VLM-1 The VLM (''Veículo Lançador de Microssatélites'') is a proposed three-stage satellite launcher being developed by the Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology in collaboration with Germany. The project originated in 2008 as a simplif ...

** VLM S-50 *Sub-orbital launchers: ** VSB-30 *Hypersonic sub-orbital vehicle **

14-X The 14-X is a Brazilian scramjet engine in development by the Aerothermodynamics and Hypersonics Laboratory Henry T. Nagamatsu of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEAv) of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology as part of the ''Pro ...

Telescopes

*Radio telescope: ** Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in Neutral Gas Observations (BINGO)

Launching facilities

*Spaceport: **

*Rocket base: **

Barreira do Inferno Launch Center The Barreira do Inferno Launch Center ( pt, Centro de Lançamento da Barreira do Inferno; CLBI, ) is a rocket launch base of the Brazilian Space Agency. It was created in 1965, and is located near Ponta Negra beach, near Natal, the capital of ...

Air, space and border control

*Space control centers: ** Space Operations Center (COPE) ** Secondary Space Operations Center (COPE-S) ** Satellite Tracking and Control Center (CRC) *Airspace defense control centers: ** Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center (CINDACTA) *Datalink: **

Link-BR2 The Link-BR2 is a Brazilian military datalink developed by the Brazilian Air Force and the defence company AEL Sistemas. The system entered in operation in December 2020, and was conceived in the early-2010s, by the necessity of Armed Forces of a ...

*Territorial and border control: ** SISFRON system ** SisGAAz system

International cooperation

Artemis program

The country and its federal agencies are part of the NASA's

Artemis Program The Artemis program is a robotic and human Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with three partner agencies: European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Age ...

and signatory to the Artemis Accords. Also several companies are based in Alcântara, with the objective of orbital and sub-orbital launches, for commercial purposes or in partnership with the Brazilian government.

Satellite constellation

The Brazilian Space Agency signed cooperation agreements with space agencies of

BRICS BRICS is an acronym for five leading emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The first four were initially grouped as " BRIC" (or "the BRICs") in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill, who coined the t ...

(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), to the joint-development of a remote sensing satellite constellation, aiming to help with common challenges for the mankind such as the climate change, major disasters and environmental protection. Ground stations located in Cuiabá in Brazil, Moscow Region in Russia, Shadnagar–Hyderabad in India, Sanya in China and Hartebeesthoek in South Africa will receive data from the satellite constellation.

External links

Brazilian Air Force

Brazilian Ministry of Defense

References

{{Military of Brazil Commands of the Brazilian Armed Forces Joint military units and formations Space units and formations