BRICS countries launch joint committee on space cooperation

The BRICS Joint Committee on Space Cooperation was officially launched on Wednesday, opening a new chapter on their cooperation in the remote sensing satellite observation and data sharing fields.

The joint committee will guide cooperation on the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation to better serve economic and social development in member countries, Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration, said at the committee's first video meeting.

Zhang said that the new joint committee will enable BRICS space agencies to work closer together when it comes to environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, and tackling climate change with efficient data sharing and utilization.

At the meeting, space agencies from the five member countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- reviewed and adopted documents on the joint committee's terms of reference, the technical specifications for data exchange, and the implementation procedures for joint observation.

In August 2021, the five space agencies signed an agreement on the Cooperation on BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation.

The constellation is made up of six existing satellites: Gaofen-6 and Ziyuan III 02, both developed by China, CBERS-4, jointly developed by Brazil and China, Kanopus-V type, developed by Russia, and Resourcesat-2 and 2A, both developed by India.