The Brazilian audit court (TCU) has voted to investigate both the satellite procurement process and shareholder structure of nascent satellite joint venture Visiona Tecnologia Espacial.
Following a plenary meeting held on 10 July, TCU president Augusto…
The Brazilian audit court (TCU) has voted to investigate both the satellite procurement process and shareholder structure of nascent satellite joint venture Visiona Tecnologia Espacial.
Following a plenary meeting held on 10 July, TCU president Augusto Nardes authorised its bureau of privatisation and regulatory oversight for energy and communications (SefidEnergia) to look into the acquisition process under the Geostationary Satellite Defence and Strategic Communications programme.
SefidEnergia has also been asked to go further and examine the shareholders’ agreement between Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer and incumbent telco Telebras that led to the formation of Visiona in May 2012.
Visiona has been tasked by the Brazilian space agency AEB to manage and operate the country’s first Ka-band satellite. The spacecraft is seen as a critical part of the government’s national broadband programme, although a fifth of its capacity will be designated for military purposes in the X-band. The total cost of the project is estimated at roughly R$716m (US$389m).
An RFI was sent to eight global satellite manufacturers in late 2012 and in May of this year three vendors, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Melco), Space Systems Loral (SSL) and Thales Alenia Space, were selected for the final round. A decision was expected to be made this month.
A timeframe for the investigation has not been announced.
