The Brazilian government said on Wednesday it will spend 700 million US dollars building five rockets to launch satellites into space by 2022.

The plan, known as the Southern Cross, takes its name from the southern constellation that is made up of five stars.

The first launcher called Alfam will be an improved version of the VLS-1 rocket, which Brazil has been using since 1980. The development program was suspended in August 2003 following the explosion of a VLS-1 rocket that killed 21 engineers and technicians.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a cooperation agreement in Moscow last week, under which Russia and Brazil will work together on the Alfam program. The structure of the other four rockets has yet to be determined.

Source: Xinhua