Brazil's Air Force presented a satellite-monitoring tool at the Space Conference of the Americas 2026, a military forum held in the United States from April 28 to 30. According to single-source reporting from Revista Sociedade Militar, citing the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the system is meant to estimate orbital behavior and help protect Brazilian and allied space assets.
The tool was developed by the Aerospace Operations Command (COMAE), the FAB unit responsible for aerospace operations. It uses algorithms to reconstruct the parameters of space events from data on the movement of objects in orbit.
What the Tool Does
The system is designed to detect satellite maneuvers, estimate when they occurred and measure their magnitude. In practical terms, that gives analysts more than a warning that a satellite changed behavior; it offers a fuller description of the event.
Major Engineer Rafael Luz, identified by the FAB as the developer of the tool, said the work gives analysts a way to assess the possible intent of a non-cooperative satellite.
"We developed, analytically, the capacity to estimate the time interval and magnitude of maneuvers," Luz said, according to the report. "This gives the analyst not only the indication that something happened, but a complete characterization of the event. From there, we can understand the intention of a non-cooperative satellite."
The FAB says the tool can have multiple uses in operational planning. The report did not specify whether the system is limited to military satellites or whether it can also track commercial or civilian objects in orbit.
Why It Matters
Space-domain awareness, often abbreviated as SDA, refers to the ability to know what is happening in orbit: where objects are, how they move and whether their behavior poses risk. The field has become more important as thousands of satellites from many countries and companies operate above Earth.
The FAB said the space environment remains lightly regulated at the global level. In that context, the ability to identify and characterize satellite maneuvers matters for national sovereignty, military planning and the protection of strategic assets.
Brigadier Sandro Bernardon, head of COMAE's Space Operations Center (COPE), said the project helps position Brazil as a regional provider of SDA services in South America. According to the report, he framed the work as both a sovereignty tool and a contribution to international cooperation in space management.
International Cooperation
The Brazilian Air Force already uses the technology in operational exercises and in joint reports with the United States Space Force, according to the article. That cooperation takes place through the Joint Commercial Operations initiative, known as JCO, an international community focused on space-monitoring information.
The FAB said real-world use has helped validate Brazilian methods and strengthen technical cooperation with foreign partners. The report also said the project has drawn international interest and encouraged data exchanges that may improve the quality of space-monitoring solutions.
The article did not provide independent technical validation, performance benchmarks or details on the specific data sources used by the system. For now, the public account rests on FAB statements reported by Revista Sociedade Militar.