Portugal celebrates 25 years in the European Space Agency

Portugal became the 15th Member State of the European Space Agency (ESA) 25 years ago. The country signed the ESA accession agreement on 15 December 1999, becoming a member state of the Agency on 14 November 2000. A quarter of a century later, Portugal is witnessing the consolidation of its national space ecosystem and impressive growth, asserting itself ever more actively within the European space sector.

Since joining ESA, Portugal has strengthened its scientific, technological, and industrial capacity. In 2018, the National Space Strategy, Portugal Space 2030, together with the subsequent creation of the Portuguese Space Agency and the National Space Law, provided fresh impetus to the sector.

Today, 87 companies and 46 research centres are active in Portugal’s space ecosystem. “An attractive environment has been created to draw international companies to Portugal and, consequently, to foster international partnerships with key players, helping to build the critical mass required for consistent positioning in the sector’s value chain,” notes Ricardo Conde, President of the Portuguese Space Agency.

“These 25 years represent the maturation of a vision that began with ESA membership, but which also brings together the knowledge gathered by all those who, even before 2000, helped establish space activities in Portugal,” he adds. For Ricardo Conde, this now translates into “a country with solid skills, a strong capacity for innovation and an active contribution to international missions, activities and projects”. “The momentum created is today clearly recognised by a new generation that has chosen to pursue academic training in this field, projecting its ambition onto the development of the national space sector,” says the President of the Portuguese Space Agency.

This anniversary is also marked at a crucial moment for Europe’s growth and affirmation in this domain, where technological capability in space is a key pillar for building multiple dimensions of European sovereignty and resilience, including sustainability and security.

In this context, Portugal is preparing to contribute to these ambitions through the development of the Santa Maria space hub and emerging national satellite constellations, which together reinforce “the country’s positioning through its Atlantic centrality, firmly anchoring it within the new European space economy,” concludes Ricardo Conde.

Looking ahead, Portugal enters the next quarter-century ready to meet the challenges of shaping Europe’s space sector, strengthening ESA’s role and promoting close coordination with the European Union’s space programmes.