🇧🇷Alcantara Launch Center
Alcantara, Maranhao, Brazil, Brazil
Country
🇧🇷 Brazil
Region
South America
Established
1990
Launches / Year
2-4
Coordinates
-2.3730° S, 44.3964° W
About
Alcantara Launch Center is Brazil's primary launch site and one of the most equatorially positioned spaceports in the world at just 2.3 degrees south of the equator. This location provides a significant energy advantage for equatorial and geostationary launches, making it an attractive site for international commercial partnerships.
Key Features
Located at 2.3 deg S — one of the closest launch sites to the equator
Up to 25% fuel savings for GEO launches compared to mid-latitude sites
Technology Safeguards Agreement with the US signed in 2019 for commercial use
Supports sounding rocket launches and VLS orbital vehicle development
International partnerships being pursued to attract commercial launches
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Regular sounding rocket launches for atmospheric research
VLS-1 development program (ongoing) — Brazil's orbital vehicle
2003 VLS-1 accident — tragic setback that reshaped the program
Suborbital launches supporting Brazilian space research programs