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| Abbreviation | INPE |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 22, 1971 |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Spaceresearch |
| Headquarters | São José dos Campos, São Paulo |
| Coordinates | 23°12′25″S45°51′37″W / 23.20694°S 45.86028°W /-23.20694; -45.86028 |
Official language | Portuguese |
Director | Gilvan Sampaio de Oliveira |
Parent organization | Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations |
| Budget | R$79.9 million (2021)[1] |
| Website | gov.br/inpe/ |
TheNational Institute for Space Research (Portuguese:Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais,INPE) is a research unit of theBrazilianMinistry of Science, Technology and Innovations, the maingoals of which are fostering scientific research and technological applications and qualifying personnel in the fields ofspace andatmospheric sciences,space engineering, andspace technology. While INPE is the civilian research center for aerospace activities, theBrazilian Air Force'sGeneral Command for Aerospace Technology is the military arm. INPE is located in the city ofSão José dos Campos, São Paulo.
On August 13, 1961,PresidentJânio Quadros signed a decree which created the Organizing Group for the National Commission on Space Activities (COGNAE).[2] This group would give rise to the current National Institute for Space Research.COGNAE, which shortly after became known as CNAE, started its activities by stimulating, coordinating and supporting studies onspace related areas, besides breeding a team of skilledresearchers and establishing cooperation with leading nations on the space area.On April 22, 1971, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) was created, subordinated to theNational Research Council (CNPq). Its first Director was the electronic engineerFernando de Mendonça. INPE would be the main civilian executive organ for space research development in accordance with the directives of the Brazilian Commission for Space Activities (COBAE), an advisory organ to the President.Until the mid-Seventies, the main projects carried out by INPE included the usage ofmeteorological,communications andearth observation satellites. This engendered other projects such as:
INPE entered a new era when the Brazilian government approved theComplete Brazilian Space Mission (MECB) at the end of the 1970s. The institute, besides research and applications, started the development of the space technology for specific needs, essential for a country of continental dimensions with immense uninhabited areas.On March 15, 1985, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT) was created and INPE became part of it as an independent organ of the Direct Administration.During the 1980s, INPE started developing priority programs such as:
It also kept track of other countries' research on the space area, facilitating collaboration and partnership with them. During this period it also established its Integration and Tests Laboratory (LIT) which develops highly specialized activities essential to the Brazilian Space Program. In the 1990s, the first Brazilian satellite (SCD-1) was launched. Since 1994, theBrazilian Space Agency has been responsible for Brazil'sspace program. INPE works in close cooperation with the agency. In 1998, the second Brazilian satellite (SCD-2) was successfully launched, performing even better than the first one. CBERS 1 was launched in 1999, CBERS 2 in 2003 and CBERS 2B in 2007. In August 2019, the chief of the agency, Ricardo Galvão, was fired by science minister Marcos Pontes after a period where Galvão had a public argument with Brazilian presidentJair Bolsonaro over the validity of data from DETER, a satellite system monitoring deforestation. Bolsonaro stated that the data had been altered to attack his government and Galvão called him a coward in response.[3]
| # | Director | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1963 - 1976 | 1st director from INPE.[4] | |
| 2 | Nelson de Jesus Parada | 1976 - 1985 | [5] |
| 3 | 1985 - 1989 | [6] | |
| 4 | Márcio Nogueira Barbosa | 1989 - 2001 | He left the institute to take up a post at UNESCO.[7][8] |
| — | Volker Kirchhoff | 2001 - 2001 | Interim Director.[9][10] |
| 5 | Luiz Carlos Moura Miranda | 2001 - 2005 | Assuming post in 2001,[10] resigned on 26 April 2005[11] after a dispute over funding.[12] |
| — | Leonel Perondi | 2005 - 2005 | Interim Director.[13] |
| 6 | 2005 - 2012 | [11][14] | |
| 7 | Leonel Perondi | 2012 - 2016 | [13][15] |
| 8 | 2016 - 2019 | Assuming post in 2016,[15] he was exonerated in 2019 after publicly defending INPE's work against theJair Bolsonarogovernment's attacks [pt] in the context ofAmazon deforestation, specifically during the2019 fires.[16] Within the internal regulations the replacement occurred due to "a situation of loss of confidence".[17] | |
| — | Darcton Policarpo Damião | 2019 - 2020 | Interim Director.[18][19] |
| 9 | Clezio Marcos de Nardin | 2020 - 2023 | In office between 2020[19] and 2023.[20] |
| — | Gilvan Sampaio de Oliveira | 2023 | Interim director.[21] |
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