Avaliação do Sistema Nacional de Desenvolvimento das Atividades Espaciais

An accident with Brazilian Satellite Launching Vehicle (SLV-1 V03) third prototype in August, 2003 at Alcântara Base, in the State of Maranhão, dramatically exposed accumulated deficiencies affecting Brazilian space sector. A report regarding this accident published by Ministry of Defense recognized the relevance of organizational dimension for the success of Brazilian space policy. In this case study, the author analyses sector organizational structure - the National Space Activities Development System (NSADS) - to evaluate its adequacy to policy development requisites. The Theory of Structural Contingency - TSC provided the analytical framework adopted in the research complemented by two organizational approaches that focuses high risk systems: Normal Accident Theory - NAT and High Reliability Theory - HRT. The last two approaches supported the analysis of NSADS's organizations which are, according to Charles Perrow definition, directly involved in developing high risk technological systems and their relationship with the System. The case study was supplemented with a brief comparison between NSADS and the organizational structures of North-American and French civilian space agencies, respectively, NASA and CNES, in order to subsidize organizational modeling of Brazilian System.