Source from Xinhua News Agency.
"Insufficient funds constituted the main reason for the failure of Brazil's space program, which has seen three unsuccessful attempts at sending a rocket into space, the legislative commission said Saturday.
The latest failure took place on Aug. 23, 2003, in which a rocket that was going to send two national satellites into orbit exploded, killing 21 Brazilian experts.

The commission's conclusion echoed the opinion of Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Viegas, who admitted the shortage of funds was the root cause for the space tragedy although official report showed that the accident was caused directly by a short circuit inthe rocket systems.

The commission said lack of investments in new equipment, security measures and training of the personnel working on the space program led to the tragedy."