No-Go

Brazil's second attempt at launching their Veículo Lançador de Satélites (VLS-1) rocket will take place "sometime in December", according to Luiz Gylvan Meira Filho, president of the Brazilian Space Agency. "The rocket is presently being transported from its facilities in São José dos Campos to the launchpad in Alcântara." Meira said.

Brazil's first attempt to launch the VLS-1 in 1997 was unsuccessful, when the rocket had to be destroyed after it veered off course. The second VLS-1 will attempt to put a Brazilian built microsatellite, the SACI 2, into orbit. The 83-kilogram SACI 2 satellite was designed by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), and will contain experiments from various Brazilian Universities, according to Meira.

Meanwhile, Brazilian space officials are "wondering if we chose the right partner" in Boeing Co., Seattle, to help them develop the preliminary specifications for the hardware Brazil is committed to providing to the International Space Station, according to Márcio Nogueira Barbosa, director of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, (INPE).

In an exclusive interview during the III Workshop on Commercial Space activities in Rio de Janeiro recently, Barbosa said that the Brazilians are "displeased" with Boeing's decision to stop work on a $10 million contract with INPE, because the Brazilians are approximately $3 million in arrears on payments.

Citing the eight-month payment interruption due to difficulties in the Brazilian economy, Barbosa emphasized that Boeing may have jeopardized a 15-year potential relationship with INPE, by stopping work on the current contract, closing its office, and returning its representative to the US.

"Brazil has faithfully paid up on its two previous contracts with Boeing," Barbosa said, "and now that we are going through some tough times in the last eight months, Boeing decides to stop work because there has been a delay on the payment of a relatively small sum. Although I'm not saying we cannot resume work with Boeing sometime in the future, I must also say this will not be forgotten."

Bill Olsen, who headed Boeing's Brazil Project office in São José dos Campos until recently, claimed that the company... "slowly reduced the scope of its work hoping the money would be forthcoming... but then were instructed by our management on June 1^st to put everything on hold."

Shortly thereafter, Boeing shut down its office in São José dos Campos and returned Olsen to the US. Although Boeing's work was to represent approximately half Brazil's expenditure on the Station, Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, was selected to lead the construction effort. Olsen said that Boeing is still prepared to support Brazil as soon as funding is in place and that its contract with INPE is "still fully in place, still fully functioning".

Barbosa said that part of the reason for the delay in payments for its contributions to the Station are caused by the severe pressures imposed by the International Monetary Fund on Brazil, resulting in severe cuts throughout the national budget. "We need $23 million reais for INPE's budget and we now have only $4 million reais available" he said.

But Barbosa expressed confidence that INPE's request for supplemental funding will be approved, and that the Brazilian national government is committed to fulfill its Space Station obligations.

"We expect that the Executive branch will seek additional funding for INPE's budget based on better than expected national economic performance", Barbosa said.

An official from NASA's Space Station liaison office also present at the Rio conference indicated that NASA will be sending INPE and the Brazilian Space Agency a letter requesting confirmation of Brazil's financial commitment and budget allocation for an external research facility, otherwise known as the Express Pallet, that houses experiments outside the Station and is part of Brazil's hardware contribution to the International Space Station.

This official indicated that NASA will soon have to make a "critical path" decision on whether to find an alternate provider of the Express Pallet, if the Brazilians are unable to come up with the financing for that hardware item in the near future.

Shelley Harrison, chairman and CEO of SpaceHab Inc., indicated his companies' interest and capabilities to work with Brazil on the Express Pallet and microgravity research during his presentation at the conference. Michael Kearney, vice president of Marketing & Sales for SpaceHab said that, "SpaceHab's work on the Express Pallet for Brazil might be an option once the Brazilians have determined what their relationship is with Boeing"

Besides the unpressurized Express Pallet, Brazil's hardware contributions to the Station, set to total $120 million (dollars), includes a cargo handling interface assembly and a unit to deliver hardware to the station while it is being built.

Frank Dirceu Braun, an award-winning journalist, was born in Brazil and raised in the United States. You may contact him at fbraun@adnc.com

Copyright©1999 by Braun Communications. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form.

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