A joint commission on space cooperation of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) was established, kicking off a new chapter of joint observation and data sharing of remote sensing satellites among the five member states, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Wednesday.

Speaking at the first commission meeting via video, Zhang Kejian, head of the CNSA, noted that the establishment of the commission will guide the remote sensing sharing mechanism to better help the socioeconomic development of the BRICS countries and meet common challenges, such as climate change, disaster relief and environmental protection.

Leaders of the space agencies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa shared updates on their activities and the implementation of the Agreement on the Cooperation on BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, according to the administration.

The agreement signed in August 2021, established the foundations for the space agencies of BRICS countries to jointly build a "virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites" that works as a data sharing mechanism.

The constellation is made up of existing satellites contributed by the space agencies of BRICS countries. The satellites include the CBERS-4, jointly developed by Brazil and China, Russia's Kanopus-V type, India's Resourcesat-2 and 2A, as well as China's Gaofen-6 and Ziyuan III 02.