BRICS countries have exchanged satellite data covering over 27 million square kilometres of Earth’s surface under the Earth Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation cooperation agreement.
This was reported by the press service of Roscosmos, citing remarks by its Director General, Dmitry Bakanov, at a meeting of the heads of the space agencies of the member states.
In the first year of the agreement’s implementation, member countries received a significant volume of data.
China provided Russia with imagery covering 560,000 square kilometres, supporting environmental monitoring, while Russian satellites delivered data covering 34,500 square kilometres to India to assist in earthquake recovery efforts.
The agreement marks a major step in peaceful space cooperation, with data sourced from the satellites and ground infrastructure of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It is hoped that newly joined BRICS members will participate in the initiative in future.
During the meeting, participants presented a roadmap for developing a phased Earth observation data exchange platform from 2025 to 2029.
According to a statement released by the EPA, the meeting agenda included several working sessions focused on expanding the BRICS satellite constellation to support sustainable development in line with the goals of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30), which Brazil will host in November.
Participants also discussed strategies to bridge technological gaps among member space agencies and explored opportunities to strengthen human resource development in the space sector.
The event featured bilateral meetings between delegations and a visit to Brazil’s Space Operations Center (COPE).
Running from April 27 to 29, the meeting underscored the BRICS nations’ ongoing commitment to advancing space cooperation and aligning efforts to tackle global challenges and promote sustainable development.
The heads of BRICS space agencies officially signed the Agreement on Cooperation for the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation in 2021.
The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration through a “virtual constellation” of remote sensing satellites, enabling data sharing among BRICS space agencies using existing national satellites. Contributed satellites include CBERS-4 (jointly operated by Brazil and China), Russia’s Kanopus-V series, India’s Resourcesat-2 and 2A, and China’s GF-6 and ZY-3/02.
According to the agreement, satellite data will be received and processed through a network of ground stations located in Cuiabá (Brazil), the Moscow Region (Russia), Shadnagar–Hyderabad (India), Sanya (China), and Hartebeesthoek (South Africa). This collaborative data-sharing mechanism aims to support joint efforts in addressing global challenges such as climate change, disaster response, and environmental protection.
