China and Brazil are expanding their long-standing cooperation in the space sector, with new initiatives covering satellite-based internet services and the establishment of a joint space laboratory, according to media reports and Chinese institutions involved in the projects.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s Chief of Staff, Rui Costa, announced on Wednesday that Chinese low Earth orbit satellite company SpaceSail is set to begin providing internet access to remote areas of Brazil in the first half of 2026, Reuters reported.
SpaceSail and Brazil’s state-owned telecommunications company Telebras signed a memorandum of understanding in late 2024 to deliver satellite internet services to schools, hospitals and other essential public facilities across the country.
Based in Shanghai, SpaceSail is the developer of the Qianfan constellation, China’s first large-scale low Earth orbit commercial satellite network to enter the formal networking phase. According to Xinhua News Agency, since the launch of its first batch of 18 satellites in August 2024, the constellation has expanded to 108 satellites in orbit following five additional launches, the latest completed in October this year.
Beyond satellite internet cooperation, China and Brazil are also strengthening collaboration in scientific research. The Global Times learned from the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) that its network communication research institute has signed an agreement with Brazil’s Federal University of Campina Grande and the Federal University of Paraíba to jointly establish the China-Brazil Joint Laboratory for Radio Astronomy Technology.
The agreement was signed in the presence of officials from China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, aiming to implement key outcomes of head-of-state diplomacy and further advance bilateral cooperation in science and technology.
According to CETC, the signing marks a significant milestone in the laboratory’s development, providing a crucial platform for future international scientific exchanges and collaboration. The joint laboratory will focus on astronomical observation and deep-space exploration, conduct cutting-edge research, promote international scientific cooperation, and plan major global scientific projects.
China-Brazil space cooperation dates back to July 1988, when the two countries signed an agreement to jointly develop the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) program. Widely regarded as a model of “South-South cooperation,” the initiative marked China’s first civilian remote-sensing satellite capable of directly transmitting data back to Earth.
Jose Raimundo Coelho, former president of the Brazilian Space Agency and a recipient of the 2023 Chinese Government Friendship Award, previously told the Global Times that more than three decades of collaboration under the CBERS program have significantly strengthened ties between China and Brazil.
