Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline said it successfully executed a cargo charter to transport the Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil to Chennai. This is the first time that it has transported a space satellite from South America, it said
Amazonia-1 is the first satellite to have been developed completely in Brazil by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil. It took eight years to be developed and once launched into space, will help monitor the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
The satellite is due to be sent to space in February 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the East coast of India.
“Emirates SkyCargo had to undertake extensive preparations for this charter flight to ensure the safe and secure transport of the satellite. It had to apply for special permission to operate a Boeing 777 freighter from Sao Jose dos Campos airport to uplift the satellite,” the cargo carrier said.
During the transportation process, the Amazonia-1 satellite was dismantled into multiple components to facilitate easy loading and unloading from the aircraft. The satellite components were packed inside large containers to avoid any damage during the transport.
Overall, the total cargo weighed around 22 tonnes. Four members of the team from INPE also travelled with the satellite to continuously monitor the status of the cargo during the flight from Sao Jose dos Campos to Dubai and then onwards to Chennai, it added.
