Brazil and Russia signed an agreement on space cooperation that calls for development of a launch vehicle for Brazil, production of geostationary satellites and other projects

Brazil and Russia signed an agreement on space cooperation that calls for development of a launch vehicle for Brazil, production of geostationary satellites and other projects. The document signed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Russian President Vladimir Putin evokes "development of a modernized version" of Brazil's satellite launch rocket known as the VLS-1 as well as development of new models. It also calls for joint work on development of geostationary satellites to be used for communication and navigation and for cooperation on improving the infrastructure at Brazil's Alcantara launch facility. While the memorandum of understanding spelled out no timetable, Lula said it gave Brazil "renewed optimism and determination" to pursue its national plans for launching commercial satellites from the Alcantara site.