The Brazilian government is expecting that its first own satellite will finally reach space later this week.
A month-long general strike in French Guiana meant it was operationally impossible to launch the Ariane 5 rocket, which will transport the satellite.
For nearly a month, dozens of roadblocks controlled strategic intersections to cities including Kouru – home to the Guiana space base, a symbol of economic disparity in a country where running water and electricity is a luxury and about one in four citizens is jobless.
Following an aid package worth billions of euros from Paris to the French territory, operations resumed at the space base and the new date for a possible launch is May 4, between 5.31pm and 8.19pm Brazil time.
The satellite – built protect the transfer of privileged national security information in Brazil while boosting the country’s – broadband capacity was built by Visiona, a joint venture between Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer and state-owned telecoms company Telebras and built by Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace in France.
