O Acordo de Salvaguardas Tecnológicas entre o Brasil e os Estados Unidos sobre a Base de Alcântara: a possibilidade de desenvolvimento tecnológico do setor espacial brasileiro à luz da experiência brasileira na parceria com a Ucrânia

Abstract

The approval of the U.S.-Brazil Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA), which allows participation of the United States in space launches from Alcântara Space Center, in Maranhão, brought about a series of questions and criticisms regarding technological growth in Brazil’s aerospace sector. Considering previous failures in the space sector between Brazil and Ukraine, which also allowed technology transfer, this work analyses to what extent TSA actually means real technological development for brazil’s space sector. Historically, Brazil has imported intellectual properties and technologies; for that reason, its role as merely a grantor of space launch infrastructure is worrisome, since therein lies the problem of how sturdy intellectual property protection measures really are, troubling developing countries, as is Brazil’s case, when it comes to building and sharing technology knowledge. These worries intensify especially when Brazil’s failed cooperation with Ukraine is taken into account; the relationship, at first, led to many international treaties that confirmed both countries’ intention of conjoined development, including plans to develop Cyclone-93 together. Because of that, means to allow technology transfer (TT) in TSA must be found. Therefore, in order to adapt TSA to technological development standards that consider access, improvement and reduction of inequalities, this research reviews technology transfer’s main characteristics, as well as notions regarding TT international contracts, notably the offset or compensations modality. To that end, this study has been made using the hypothetico-deductive method, is explanatory in nature and has bibliographic and documental features.