| Mission type | Reconnaissance, astrobiology |
|---|---|
| Operator |  Airvantis[1] |
| Website | institutogaratea |
| Mission duration | 6 months (estimation)[2] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | CubeSat[3] |
| Manufacturer | Airvantis |
| Launch mass | 7.2 kg (16 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2026[4] |
| Rocket | Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle[2] |
| Contractor | ISRO |
| Moon orbiter | |
Garatéa-L[a] is aspace probe planned by the Brazilian company Airvantis with the support of institutions such asINPE,IMT,ITA,LNLS/CNPEM,PUC-RS,UFSC,USP andUSRA.[5] It will be the first Brazilian mission in deep space, as well as the first directed to theMoon. TheCubeSat will be launched by an Indian rocketPSLV as part of the Pathfinder mission, which will pioneer deep space commercial exploration through a partnership between British private companies with theUK Space Agency (UKSA) and theEuropean Space Agency (ESA).[6][7]
The Garatéa-L spacecraft aims to investigate extreme living space conditions by conducting tests that will evaluate the effects ofcosmic ray exposure on bacterial colonies and on human tissues, contributing to the area ofastrobiology andspace medicine.[8] Since the spacecraft will be placed in a highly eccentric orbit around the Moon, it is also planned to collect multi-spectral images of theSouth Pole–Aitken basin on thefar side of the Moon.[9] Mission leaders also want to boost Brazilian students' interest in careers related toSTEM.
The preparations for the mission are both technical and financial. On the technical side there is the experience in the development ofnanosatellites by INPE and ITA. Circuits prepared to avoid radiation problems are worked by IMT, while payload will be developed by Zenith-USP group ofEESC (USP). And in turn, the other institutions (LNLS/CNPEM,IQ-USP,IO-USP,UFSC,Microgravity Centre andUSRA-EUA) are responsible for the experiments that will be carried out to carry out astrobiological and medical research on microgravity. The financial part will be made possible through private investments (sponsorship, royalties and eventual patents) and public investments (development agencies). The estimated total cost isR$ 35 million,[5] or about $10.3 million dollars.[3] By 2023, the satellite is under qualification process by theBrazilian Space Agency.[10]
To stimulate the interest of Brazilian students in science and technology, Project Garatéa joined theStudent Spaceflight Experiments Program to send student experiments toISS.[11]
The first experiment,Addition of “Green Plastic” to Enhance Cement Properties in Space, a mix of cement and recyclable plastic to make it more space-enabled by the Dante Alighieri schools, EMEF Perimetral, Projeto Âncora, (São Paulo.Cotia),[12] flew to the station at theSpaceX CRS-15 mission of 2018 duringExpedition 56, being the first time Brazilian experiments have been conducted at the station since theMissão Centenário.[13]
The second experimentCapillarity versus Gravity in the Filtration Process made by high school students from theFederal Institute of Santa Catarina,[14] sent in 2019 on the missionSpaceX CRS-18 during theExpedition 60,[15] was an activated carbon filter based on the Brazilian clay filter’s operating method.[16]
The third experiment, by Regina Coeli College (MT), which investigates how thelactose molecule behaves in space, was sent on theSpaceX CRS-21 mission toExpedition 64 in 2020.[17]
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