On Monday, November 15, Brazil’s Minister of Communications Fábio Faria shared he met with SpaceX officials to discuss how the Starlink broadband network can benefit rural communities and help protect the Amazon rainforest. SpaceX is building partnerships with governments and organizations all over the world to bring Starlink service to remote communities where internet is unreliable or completely unavailable.
“PHENOMENAL meeting with SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and her team. We invite SpaceX/StarLink to come to Brazil to connect all rural schools in the country and use the technology and capabilities they have in satellites to preserve the AMAZON,” Faria shared in Portuguese. He also shared a video visiting SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, linked below. “[…] I would like to thank the president of the company, Gwynne Shotwell, and her team,” he wrote. [All quotes are translated from Portuguese to English language.]
FENOMENAL reunião com a presidente da SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell e sua equipe. Convidamos a SpaceX/StarLink para vir ao Brasil para conectarmos todas as escolas rurais do País e utilizarmos a tecnologia e capilaridade que eles têm em satélites para preservarmos a AMAZÔNIA.
— Fábio Faria 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 (@fabiofaria) November 15, 2021
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/lTnCyFuMC9
Governo brasileiro unido à maior do mundo? Sim! A visita à empresa @SpaceX foi excepcional e vai gerar muitos frutos para nosso País. Agradeço à presidente da empresa, @Gwynne_Shotwell, e sua equipe. 🚀🇧🇷🇺🇸 @govbr pic.twitter.com/9EvmiFB52G
— Fábio Faria 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 (@fabiofaria) November 15, 2021
By Monday afternoon, Faria shared he was on his way to meet with the company’s founder in Texas. –“We are on our way to Austin, for a meeting with Elon Musk, Inventor and CEO of SpaceX, Starlink and Tesla. We will talk about partnership with Brazil. Expanding connectivity and protecting the Amazon is an effort by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro,” he announced at 4:35 p.m. Central Time.
Estamos a caminho de Austin 🇺🇸, para uma reunião com @elonmusk inventor e CEO da @SpaceX, Starlink e Tesla. Iremos tratar sobre parceria com o 🇧🇷. Ampliação de conectividade e proteção da Amazônia é um esforço do governo de @jairbolsonaro. 🚀
— Fábio Faria 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 (@fabiofaria) November 15, 2021
“Soon, Elon Musk will be in Brazil to connect rural schools and protect the Amazon using SpaceX/Starlink technology. We at Government of Brazil have no optimism and no pessimism, we make it happen!!! I believe in Brazil!!” Fario announced, alongside a photograph of him next to SpaceX founder. The company has not yet released any official details about Starlink rollout in Brazil. Fario did not elaborate on how the country plans to use the technology to aid in protecting the rainforest.
Em breve, @elonmusk estará no Brasil para conectarmos as escolas rurais e protegermos a Amazônia utilizando a tecnologia da SpaceX/Starlink.
— Fábio Faria 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 (@fabiofaria) November 16, 2021
A gente no @govbr não tem otimismo e não tem pessimismo, a gente faz acontecer!!!
Eu acredito no Brasil!!🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/qjEUAPAlBc
SpaceX is working on developing the most advanced internet infrastructure comprised of over 12,000 satellites in Low Earth Orbit. The company currently operates approximately 1,844 Starlink satellites that provide internet coverage to rural regions across 20 countries. Currently, the broadband constellation provides internet to around 140,000 users. SpaceX says it will be able to serve more customers as more satellites are deployed next year. For more information visit the company’s official website: Starlink.com
Featured Image Source: @fabiofaria via Twitter
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
