The Alcântara Space Center (, CEA), formerly known as Alcântara Launch Center (,) is a space center and launching facility of the Brazilian Space Agency in the city of Alcântara, located on Brazil's northern Atlantic coast, in the state of Maranhão. It is operated by the Brazilian Air Force (). The CEA is the closest launching base to the equator. This gives the launch site a significant advantage in launching geosynchronous satellites, an attribute shared by the Guiana Space Centre.

Due to its location, it is well-positioned for geosynchronous launch. As such, several agencies and companies have studied or signed agreements to launch from Alcântara, including Ukraine's Tsyklon-4, Israel's Shavit, Russia's Proton, Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne and Innospace's Hanbit-Nano.

Construction of the base began in 1982. The first launch occurred on February 21, 1990, when the sounding rocket Sonda 2 XV-53 was launched. On August 22, 2003, the explosion of the third VLS-1 (XV-03) killed 21 people.

Construction

Construction of the Alcântara Space Center began in 1982, as the Brazilian Space Agency's existing rocket range at Barreira do Inferno Launch Center was being overtaxed by growing demand for launch capacity. In 2020, the government of Brazil announced their plan to expand the base by more than 12,000 hectares.

Human rights concerns over the displacement of locals were reported on during the center's planned expansions in 2001 In 2023, the Brazilian government issued a public apology to the quilombolas and offered reparations.

Public-private partnership

Companies based in Alcântara as of 2021, with the objective of orbital and sub-orbital launches, for commercial purposes or in partnership with the Brazilian government:

  • C6 Launch
  • Hyperion Rocket Systems
  • OrionAST
  • Innospace

Agreement between Brazil and the U.S.

In 2019, Brazil and the U.S. signed an agreement, with the objective of preventing unauthorized access or transfer of U.S. technologies related to the launches from Alcântara.

Structures

  • Engine preparation facilities (Preparação de Propulsores - PPP)
  • Payload preparation facilities (Preparação de Carga Útil - PPCU)
  • Liquid-fuel loading facilities (Preparação de Carregamento de Propelentes - PCPL)
  • Universal launch tower
  • Mobile Integration Tower (TMI - Torre Móvel de Integração): 33m × 10m × 13m, 380 metric tons. Used for VLS rocket assembly.
  • Control center (Prédio de Controle Avançado - CASAMATA).
  • 2600m runway

List of launchpads

The Alcântara launch pads include:

  • VLS Pad (with Mobile Integration Tower - TMI)
  • MRL Pad (general sounding rocket pad)
  • "Universal" pad for rockets up to 10 tons
  • A newly built pad to support Innospace's launches

Launch list

The list of flights conducted and planned from Alcântara:

Alcântara Space Center (from 2021)

{| class="wikitable"

! Date !! Vehicle !! Type !! Operator !! Mission !! Payload !! Orbit !! Result !! Ref

|-

| 14 December 2021 || 14-X (XS VSB-30 V32) || Hypersonic glide vehicle || FAB || Qualification flight || — || Suborbital|| ||

|-

| 23 October 2022 || VSB-30 || Two-stage suborbital launcher || AEB || Santa Branca Operation || PSM || Suborbital|| ||

|-

| 19 March 2023 || HANBIT-TLV || Single-stage suborbital launcher || Innospace|| Astrolábio Operation (test flight) || SISNAV || Suborbital || ||

|-

| 22 December 2025 || Hanbit-Nano || Two-stage orbital launcher || Innospace || Spaceward (orbital test flight) || 8 payloads || Low Earth || ||

|-

| || VS-50|| Two-stage suborbital launcher || AEB|| Qualification of VLM-1 subsystems || || Suborbital|| ||

|-

| || VLM-1 || Three-stage orbital launcher || AEB || VLM-1 Maiden Flight (fully operational) || || Low Earth || || || Orion || Maracati 1 || || 93 km

|-

| 10 August 2009 || FTB || FogTrein I || ||

|-

| 12 December 2010 || VSB-30 V07 || Maracati 2 || || 242 km (payload recovered)

|-

| 8 December 2012 || VS-30/Orion V.10 || Iguaiba || || 52 km

|-

| 9 August 2013 || FTB || Operação Falcão || || 32 km

|-

| 9 May 2014 || FTB || Operação Águia I || ||

|-

| 21 August 2014 || FTI || Operação Águia II || ||

|-

| 12 September 2018 || VS-30 V.14 || Operação MUTITI || || 120 km

|-

| 22 May 2019 || FTB || Operação Águia I/2019 || || 2 launchers

|-

| 25 June 2020 || FTB || Operação Falcão I/2020 || || 30 km

|-

| 23 November 2021 || FTI || Operação Águia III || || ~60 km

|-

|14 December 2021

|14-XS

|Operação Cruzeiro||

|280 km

|-

|1 June 2022

|FTB

|Operação Falcon I/2022||

|30 km

|-

| 23 October 2022 || VSB-30 V.29 || Operação Santa Branca || ||227 km

|-

!colspan="5"|<small>Source: Astronautix (Until 2010)</small>

|}

See also

  • Aerospace Operations Command Brazilian space command
  • Rocket Launch Sites Worldwide

References

  • Official site .
  • Encyclopedia Astronautica about Alcantara, with maps, chronology and launch log.
  • About the Alcantara Launch Center at globalsecurity.org.
  • Space Today - Brazil's Atlantic Spaceports.
  • Brazil spaceport threat to villages (BBC article).
  • Alcântara Cyclone Space