Chinese equipment maker Sany is assisting the Brazilian Space Agency in its launch program.

A Sany SAC2500S all-terrain crane was used to transport the rocket for Operation Astrolabe.

According to Araújo Guindastes, the hire company which provided the materials handling equipment for the program, the SAC2500S, with its maximum capacity of 250 T, is ideal for long reach and heavy load operations, including the transport of the 16.5 m, 8.4 T rocket.

In early December, the missile components arrived in a Boeing 747 at São Luís International Airport. More than 8 T of components were transported to the city of Alcântara. 

Officials say the SAC2500S crane performed excellently, both in moving the parts for assembling the base and in lifting the rocket to the launch base. Operators were especially impressed with the low fuel consumption during the whole operation.

Sany equipment is due to be used on an ongoing basis for the space program, with more launches planned next year.

"This is a promising sector with a lot of potential in Brazil, and now especially for the state of Maranhão,” says Michel Araújo, director of Araújo Guindastes. “We have a base that is considered strategic and has the best geographical location in the world, since it is close to the equatorial line. This allows the rockets to reach space faster and with lower fuel consumption."