Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE) on Tuesday released the first images taken by the CBERS-4A Satellite, built in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Space Technology.

INPE also said that the first images were received on 27 December and were taken by the three cameras on the satellite during an 11-minute passage over Brazil.

“The INPE earth station in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, received and recorded the raw data from the WPM, MUX and WFI cameras, which were processed in São José dos Campos, São Paulo,” according to a statement released by the Institute.

INPE, an entity of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, said that CBERS-4A would double the number of images available in the CBERS system, as another satellite, CBERS-4, continues to orbit the Earth.

The China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite programme (CBERS) began over 20 years ago and allowed the two countries to gain experience in the technology of remote observation with cameras and sensors for Earth observation.

To date, Brazil and China have developed and successfully launched four satellites (CBERS-1 and CBERS-2, CBERS-2B and CBERS-4), as well as the CBERS-3, which fell and destroyed the equipment.