Divulgação IAE

 

Rocket lauching at Alcantara

The Brazilian aerospace program runs the risk of being suspended soon, according to the statement, on Thursday (15), of the Director of Space Policy and Strategic Investments of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), Himilcon Carvalho, in public hearing organized by the Committee on Science and Technology, Communications and Computer Sciences. According to him, the program is lacking in investments in areas to educate and qualify human resources and to research scientifically and technologically.

Carvalho deems the situation serious. “Today, the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), and the industry have roughly 3,000 experts, which is not much. Besides, there is aging and evasion of the public institute staff, without the due replacement and new recruitment. And there is not specific education for the space area,” stated.

Research and Fiction
According to him, the two main lines of action for the Brazilian aerospace program are, on one side, the projects for rocket and satellite areas and, on the other, the investments in R&D, that before were near 14% from total program, but are now 8%. “We are not researching fiction, but critical technology without which the program would stop,” he warned.

He added that, to qualify in human resources, the investment does not reach 2% from total budget of the space program. “The solution would be to increase the budget because there is not a way to reallocate the resources," he pondered. According to the director, still, the agency would reflect the weakness of the sector, since it does not have its own panel: It only has 90 public servants, all commissioned positions.

Transfers
Also according to Carvalho, without really investing in educating talents, Brazil never will reach its main goal in the space program, which is reaching technological autonomy. He pointed out that the international agreements are too limited to transfer technology, considering that other countries do not interest in transferring knowledge.

“Technologies are lacked to apply optical sensors (used in foreign countries to apply defense); synthetic aperture radars (to monitor deforestation through the clouds); liquid fuel for rocket (to enter into the area of commercial competition); and satellite navigation,” he detailed.

Among other problems, he cited lacking control of critical technologies, purchase legislation not adapted to the complexity of the sector and insufficient market to structure the feed-production chain. “Every satellite costs roughly $150 million; the projects are risky”, he highlighted.

Close to retirement
The President of the Union of the Federal Public Servants in the Science and Technology area from Vale do Paraíba, Fernando Morais, said that 327 Inpe and DCTA servants would retire within 5 years, what corresponds to one third of the staff from the two agencies. He noticed that the researchers’ average age is already over 50 years.

For deputy Rodrigo Rollemberg (PSB-DF), who requested the execution of the hearing, the space program is beneath from necessities and possibilities of the Country, including what refers to the economic return to the society. He agreed that the researchers’ average age is high and indicated that lack synergy among area institutions.

Deputy Emanuel Fernandes (PSDB-SP) attributed the situation to what he refers as lack of long-term vision. “For a long time we do not have a State policy. Catalyst projects are lacked, the critical technologies are important and no one will give them to us,” he was sorry. He said that the government should create a solution for the next 4 or 5 years.

continued:
Space Engineering Education takes a decade and a half to be completed

Reporting – Juliano Pires
Edition – João Pitella Junior
Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Edgar Casadei