An investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on China reveals how China is using infrastructure in Latin America to advance its space capabilities and gather information that could help expand its military and intelligence forces. One of the target countries for these activities is Brazil.
The committee’s chairman, Republican Representative John Moolenaar, declared during a meeting between parliamentarians that the US and its allies must prevent the expansion of these activities.
“President Trump has acted decisively to confront China’s malign influence in the Western Hemisphere, and our allies must act promptly on the recommendations in this report and stop the expansion of Chinese space infrastructure.”
According to the investigation, Beijing has developed an extensive network of space ground stations and dual-use telescopes in Latin America. Through this network, he collected information and increased the military capacity of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The committee identified at least eleven space facilities linked to China, located in Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil.
Some recommendations from the investigative group are for the US to promote new agreements through NASA, the American space agency, and countries where there is a Chinese presence; U.S. agencies should reevaluate space, defense, and advanced technology cooperation with these countries; and the government must eliminate Beijing’s influence in countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Research on Brazil
The report cites a base established through a 2020 agreement, the Tucano Earth Station, which is a joint venture between the Brazilian startup Ayla Nanosatellites, created in Bahia, and the Chinese company Beijing Tianlyan Space Technology. The document says the exact location of the base is unknown.
Another space investigated by the US Congress is the China-Brazil Joint Radio Astronomy Technology Laboratory, established in 2025 after the Communication Research Institute of the China Electrical Science and Technology Network (CESTNCRI) signed an agreement with the Federal University of Campina Grande and the Federal University of Paraíba.
“The agreement formalizes bilateral collaboration in advanced radio astronomy research, deep space observation technologies and planning of large-scale scientific projects,” says an excerpt from the investigation.
