Brazil, China, and the Republic of South Africa have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the GOTTA–BRICS Pathfinder Network.

According to TV BRICS, the network is the Global Open Transient Telescope Array, an international observatory of telescopes for observing transient phenomena.

The aim of the project is to expand the capabilities for observing short-lived astronomical events, also known as transient phenomena.

These include stellar flares, changes in the brightness of celestial bodies and other dynamic processes in space, as reported by TV BRICS.

The network, currently under development, will bring together scientific institutions from the BRICS countries to build a collaborative infrastructure for astronomical observations.

In Brazil, coordination has been entrusted to the National Laboratory for Astrophysics, a division of the country’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Observations will be carried out at the Pico dos Dias Observatory, located in the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain range in the state of Minas Gerais.

On the Chinese side, the Xinlong and Lenghu observatories have joined the network, whilst on the South African side, the South African Astronomical Observatory has joined.

In addition to cooperation in astronomical observations, the initiative envisages developing new technologies for managing distributed telescope networks.

It includes the use of artificial intelligence systems for real-time operations.

There are also plans to establish a shared infrastructure for data storage and exchange, as well as a staff training programme.

Other MCTI research organisations working in astronomy and instrumentation are also participating in the project.

The GOTTA-BRICS-Pathfinder network will serve as a preparatory stage for subsequent integration into the larger-scale BRICS Intelligent Telescope and Data Network project.

The project aims to promote scientific and technical cooperation among the member countries.

“This memorandum of understanding enshrines the shared vision of Brazil, South Africa and China to establish a joint observational astronomy network and expand our countries’ participation in major international scientific projects.

“This is not merely a partnership between institutions but a joint investment in cooperation, innovation and capacity-building for the coming decades,” said Luciano Fraga, acting director of the LNA.

(NAN)