NEW DELHI: A Brazilian satellite has been flown to India for launch. Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, operated the cargo charter to transport the satellite Amazonia-1 from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, to Chennai on Wednesday.
Emirates SkyCargo says this is the first time it has transported a space satellite from South America.
“Amazonia-1 is the first satellite to have been developed completely in Brazil. The satellite took eight years to be developed and once launched into space, will help monitor the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest. The satellite is due to be sent to space in February 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the east coast of India,” the airline said in a statement.
Emirates had to make special preparations for this charter flight. It applied for special permission to operate a Boeing 777 freighter from Sao Jose dos Campos airport to uplift the satellite.
“During the transportation process, the Amazonia-1 satellite was dismantled into multiple components to facilitate easy loading and unloading from the aircraft. The satellite components were packed inside large containers to avoid any damage during the transport. Overall, the total cargo weighed around 22 tonnes,” the statement said. The B777 flew from Sao Jose dos Campos to Chennai via Dubai.