Apr 18 2000
From The Space Library
The United States and Brazil signed a treaty giving U.S. aerospace firms access to Brazil's Alcantara launch site, located just 3° south of the equator. The treaty was the first accord signed by the United States that allowed U.S. satellites to launch from foreign soil. The launch site's location near the center of the globe would save money for aerospace companies, because satellites could take a shorter path to equatorial orbit, requiring less fuel. Brazil benefited from the boost to its embryonic space program and the possibility of capturing a portion of the lucrative commercial-satellite business. At the time of the agreement, U.S. firms controlled two-thirds of the annual US$66 billion commercial satellite industry.
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