page_title: Brazilian Space Agency
section_title: Sounding rockets
hierarchical_section_title: Brazilian Space Agency / Launch vehicles / Sounding rockets
caption_attribution_description: Português: Mockup de testes do VLS-1 English: VLS-1 Plataform Mockup
context_page_description: The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara, and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. The agency has given Brazil a role in space in South America and made Brazil a former partner for cooperation in the International Space Station.
  The Brazilian Space Agency is the heir to Brazil's space program. Previously, the program had been under the control of the Brazilian military; the program was transferred into civilian control on 10 February 1994.
  It suffered a major setback in 2003, when a rocket explosion killed 21 technicians. Brazil successfully launched its first rocket into space on 23 October 2004 from the Alcântara Launch Center; it was a VSB-30 launched on a sub-orbital mission. Several other successful launches have followed.
  On March 30, 2006, AEB astronaut Marcos Pontes became the first Brazilian and the first native Portuguese-speaking person to go into space, where he stayed on the International Space Station for a week. During his trip, Pontes carried out eight experiments selected by the Brazilian Space Agency.
context_section_description: The Brazilian Space Agency has operated a series of sounding rockets.
  Sonda I
  Sonda II
  Sonda III
  Sonda IV
  VSB-30
  VS-30
  VS-40
  VS-50 (projected, will use the new S-50 rocket engine)
caption: VLS-1 at the Alcântara Launch Center.
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