Source: PIB
The space agencies of BRICS nations have been negotiating a Framework Agreement to formalize the cooperation on building a ‘virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites’, made up of satellites contributed by BRICS space agencies.
The five-nation group of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) plans to share crucial data under a “virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites” which is made up of satellites contributed by BRICS space agencies.
Purpose
The purpose of the proposed virtual constellation is to get access to satellite remote sensing data, which could be used by the individual BRICS nations for various applications including natural resources management and disaster management
Need for constellation
The BRICS represent 43 percent of the world’s population, 30 percent of gross domestic product and 17 percent of global trade and they have been trying to enhance cooperation in different fields, including space.
What is a virtual constellation?
Defined by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) as a “set of space and ground segment capabilities that operate in a coordinated manner to meet a combined and common set of Earth Observation requirements”, virtual constellations can principally be used to combine sensors with similar spatial, spectral, temporal, and radiometric characteristics.
