On August 18, 2021, the Agreement on BRICS Cooperation in the Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation was signed at the vedio meeting held between BRICS space agencies.

In 2015, China National Space Administration (CNSA) proposed BRICS cooperation in this field. Over the past six years, space agencies and relevant departments in the BRICS countries made joint efforts to sign the agreement, laying a solid foundation for future cooperation. This constellation is composed of BRICS countries’ existing satellites whose data can be accessed from ground stations in China’s Sanya, Brazil’s Cuiabá, Russia’s Moscow, Shadnagar in India’s Hyderabad, and South Africa’s Hartebeesthoek. The establishment of a “virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites” between the BRICS space agencies and the data-sharing mechanism will help tackle challenges facing humanity, such as climate change, deadly disasters and environmental pollution.