China shares over 1.5 terabytes of remote sensing satellite data with BRICS countries: CNSA

China has shared over 1.5 terabytes of remote sensing satellite data with BRICS countries, and will continue to promote the application of remote sensing satellite data to all walks of life in BRICS members’ societies, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said recently. 

According to CNSA, the establishment of BRICS Global Remote Sensing Satellite Data and Application Cooperation Platform, a cooperation mechanism in joint observation and data sharing of the remote sensing satellites among the five major emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will achieve rapid collection, efficient sharing and joint application of satellite data among BRICS countries, promote the remote sensing satellite services of BRICS to benefit the world, enable sustainable economic and social development in the region and help meet the common challenges facing the world. 

Remote sensing satellite technology, with advantages including its high-resolution, full-range and global observation capabilities, has increasingly become one of the key measures to cope with global challenges in the 21st century, such as crops and food crisis, and water resource shortage as well as global climate change, the CNSA explained. 

On August 18, 2021, heads of the BRICS space agencies signed an agreement on cooperation on BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, with China-made satellites including China’s Gaofen-6 and Ziyuan-3 02 joining the cooperation. Ground stations in Sanya of South China’s Hainan Province are also supporting the program. 

On May 25, 2022, during the first meeting of the joint commission on space cooperation of the BRICS countries hosted by the CNSA, as China was the chair of the BRICS in 2022, the joint committee resolution supported joint observation by BRICS countries in designated specific areas identified and carry out cooperation in the field of remote sensing satellites in the form of remote sensing data exchange. 

According to an official from CNSA, China has carried out a series of practical work in accordance with the agreement for cooperation in remote sensing satellite data sharing. Since the signing of the agreement, CNSA has successively launched China’s website for the BRICS remote sensing satellite constellation, providing metadata and sample data from Chinese remote sensing satellites, to promote data sharing among BRICS nations and ensure the smooth operation of data exchange mechanism. 

Moreover, CNSA also proposed the pilot and demonstration projects for the BRICS remote sensing satellite constellation to promote joint observation and speed up data sharing and application, set up the Chinese data and application center specialized in the construction coordination, date receiving, processing and delivering and application for the BRICS remote sensing satellite constellation. 

In the future, based on the Chinese data and application center, China will further deepen and expand existing cooperation mechanism, and step up the construction of the cooperation platform, allowing the Chinese remote sensing satellite data to serve more countries and to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, to promote building a community of a shared future for mankind, according to CNSA. 

Apart from cooperation with the BRICS members, China also collaborates with other countries in other space projects, such as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program. Before the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros’s visit to China starting last Friday, Venezuela and China signed a declaration to formally join the ILRS program on July 18 to continue to deepen the strategic partnership with China.