Thursday, August 24, 2023 will be recorded as a milestone day in the historical evolution of the BRICS international coalition. It is the day on which the agreement of all individual members to expand the alliance and the entry of 6 new countries into it from January 1, 2024 was announced. During the speeches, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, devoted part of of his placement in the need to upgrade BRICS cooperation in space. His proposals were not only limited to the joint development and management of satellite systems, data and applications but also to the need for a joint orientation in space exploration.
In 2016, leading figures in the space agencies of China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa began discussing the construction of a “constellation” of remote sensing satellites to jointly observe the Earth. In May 2022, the joint committee for the implementation of the specific program was established.
As far as the specific space program is concerned, four of the five participants have operational satellites that can contribute to the joint venture.
Brazil’s CBERS-4 satellite (built, launched and operated jointly with China) will provide Earth observation data. The Russian Kanopus-V1 will be used for environmental and agricultural purposes, as well as disaster prevention. India’s Resourcesat-2 is used to collect data on arable land cover and use in South Asia.
The Chinese Gaofen-1 and Ziyuan-3 are also used to prevent natural disasters through early detection and warning systems. South Africa only has a few micro-satellites for remote sensing that cannot contribute to the program at present, but the South African National Space Agency is responsible for collecting and managing observational data for the African continent.
The combination of the above remote sensing systems can provide data for a multitude of uses from a scientific-environmental to a military point of view. The telemetry and communications network that will be built through this “constellation”, and their subsequent applications, will provide the New BRICS Development Bank with valuable data for the planning, implementation and protection of a multitude of cooperative ventures within the geographical extent that influenced by the BRICS.
Johannesburg Declaration II and Space Policy
According to the “Johannesburg Declaration II” of the recent conference in South Africa, which took place on August 23, 2023, Member States declare the following in relation to the space sector: They support the prevention of militarization and arms races, as well as ensuring the long-term viability of outer space (PAROS treaty).
They consider that the negotiations for the adoption of relevant legal binding regulations should be strengthened, recognizing the value of the PPWT treaty (Draft Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space) submitted by one side China and Russia in 2008, and again in 2014, at the Conference of Disarmament. Also, the importance of the steps taken by their space agencies towards the implementation of the BRICS-RSSC project (the common satellite “constellation”) through the organization of relevant forums, meetings and pilot programs is highlighted.
According to Chinese media, during a meeting of BRICS leaders President Xi Jinping signed two cooperation agreements with South Africa related to space programs. The first concerns research into manned space flights and the second the participation of South Africa in the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) jointly planned by China and Russia.
International Lunar Research Station
The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project aims to build a permanent lunar base within the next decade. The project started as a partnership between Russia and China according to the ILRS Roadmap text published in 2021. China recently took the lead and established the ILRSCO coordinating organization, extending an open call for participation in the project to any interested member of the international community.
So far the joint agreements (MoU) include the international organization Asian-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization-APSCO (participating China, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Turkey, Mongolia and Peru), the Swiss company nanoSPACE AG, the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) based in Hawaii and more than 10 countries and organizations that have expressed interest in participating in the program (eg United Arab Emirates).
BRICS+
At the BRICS conference in Johannesburg, of the more than 20 states that have applied to join the organization, 6 are the new members that were unanimously approved. Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Of the 15 African countries that have launched satellites, South Africa and Egypt are the two leading powers. Together with the Ethiopian satellites, the 3 BRICS+ countries account for approximately 50% of the African continent’s satellites ever sent into space. For the three Middle Eastern countries that joined the alliance it is worth mentioning some of their space achievements.
- The UAE within a decade managed not only to build its own satellites but also to put one of them into orbit around Mars (HOPE Mission).
- Saudi Arabia recently sent its first two astronauts to the International Space Station, via Axiom Space and Space-X.
- Iran, with 20 years of space march, is the only Middle Eastern country to have rocket launch systems in space, has its own military satellites and recently developed its ten-year space strategy based on which it aims to become the leading power in the area.
Finally, as far as Argentina is concerned, we must mention that in the space sector it is a leading force on the South American continent. Argentina is the first country on the continent to develop its own space agency, managed to put its own satellite into orbit and has developed space capabilities in several critical areas.
The future to the stars
The enlargement of the organization does not necessarily imply greater efficiency. This also applies to the perspective of the coalition in space. The BRICS+ satellite capabilities as a whole are significant, and in areas such as remote sensing, navigation and space research they compare to or even exceed their Western counterparts.
However, given that to the greatest extent they concern critical national, commercial and military programs, it is not foreseen that there will immediately be a broad and free exchange of technologies related to strategically important sectors within the framework of the coalition. Nevertheless, the international geopolitical aspirations of the partners for the formation of a multipolar world may bring the BRICS+ countries closer also on issues of a strategic nature such as space and its joint exploitation.
