Emirates airline transported first Brazilian satellite (Amazonia-1) from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil to Chennai. Developed by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil’s apex body dedicated for space research and exploration, Amazonia-1 is the satellite that took eight years to be developed. The satellite is due to be sent to space in February 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the East coast of India. The flight landed in Chennai on December 23
Once launched into space, the satellite is said to help monitor the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest.
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline said that it had to undertake extensive preparations for this charter flight to ensure the safe and secure transport of the satellite. The total cargo transported weighed around 22 tonnes.
The air cargo carrier said, “We had to apply for special permission to operate a Boeing 777 freighter from Sao Jose dos Campos airport to uplift the satellite. Emirates SkyCargo together with the INPE, the airport and local partners conducted two comprehensive simulation sessions ahead of the transport date to be able to transport the sensitive cargo safely from the airport.”
During the transportation process, the Amazonia-1 was dismantled into multiple components to facilitate easy loading and unloading from the aircraft. The carrier said that the satellite components were packed inside large containers to avoid any damage during the transport. To ensure the safe transportation of the satellite, 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 to Chennai.
This is, however, not the cargo carrier’s first such transportation. Emirates SkyCargo has expertise in transporting satellites and other cargo developed for space technology. In 2018, the carrier had transported Khalifasat, the first satellite developed completely by Emirati engineers at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre from Dubai to Seoul.
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