Largest contribution ever: Portugal proposes subscription of over €200 million to ESA

Portugal will increase its financial contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) by 51% over the period 2025-2028, to a total of €204.8 million, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation announced.

This is the largest-ever increase in the multi-annual subscription to the ESA, coming in the year that Portugal celebrates 25 years of membership of the agency. The financial reinforcement of the Portuguese contribution “highlights the country’s commitment to the space sector and now involves more areas of government”, according to a ministry statement.

The national proposal will be presented by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, during the ESA Ministerial Council, which will take place in Bremen, Germany, between Wednesday and Thursday (26 and 27 November). The meeting brings together, every three years, the ministers responsible for space affairs from ESA member states, as well as associated countries and observers such as cooperating states, the European Union, and other European institutions.

At the Ministerial Council meeting, the strategic interests of each Member State are incorporated into the ESA agenda through programmes defined by the Agency and endorsed by the States, to secure the necessary funding to launch and implement a new programme cycle, and also to ensure the continuity of ongoing programmes. Only at the end of the meeting will the overall subscription package be finalised, thereby setting the framework for the next three years.

The national delegation present in Bremen also includes members of the Portuguese Space Agency, who represent Portugal in all ESA subordinate bodies. “This increase in Portugal’s financial contribution to the ESA reflects the Government’s strong commitment to space as a strategic dimension for the country’s development, further consolidating the national position in the European space ecosystem,” points out Ricardo Conde, president of the Portuguese Space Agency.

The budget involves the participation of various government areas and takes into account “the growing impact of the space sector on other sectors”. The announced amount involves contributions from the government areas of Education, Science and Innovation, Economy, Defence, Infrastructure and Environment, as well as from the Regional Government of the Azores.

According to the Executive, the Science and Innovation ministry “will ensure the mandatory programmes, namely the Scientific programme, and the optional programmes more directly associated with scientific missions and collaboration between research centres and technology companies”.

Other government areas and the Autonomous Region of the Azores contribute to optional programmes such as Earth Observation, Space Safety, Space Transport, Communications, Technology and Resilience.

One of the missions being funded is Space Rider, ESA’s new reusable orbital vehicle, which will land on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores, where the Space Technology Centre is being set up. The choice of the island as a landing site ‘reinforces the country’s position as a hub for access to and return from space missions, thanks to its central location in the Atlantic,’ says Ricardo Conde.

On the other hand, the Government is also investing in Resilience, an investment secured ‘mainly by the Defence Department’, which ‘will help to create national technological capacity and position the Atlantic Constellation for the future European Union Governmental Earth Observation Service’, according to the statement. The Ministry of Defence’s investment represents 16.2% of the total subscription.

The increase in Portugal’s contribution for the next three years “aims to encourage more and better research, new businesses, and the attraction of multinational companies and foreign investment, generating highly skilled jobs”. The number of companies linked to the country has been increasing over the years — doubling from 42 to 84 in ten years — as has the number of research centres. This financial reinforcement also seeks to “retain the talent trained at Portuguese universities”, whose educational offerings have grown in recent years.

The proposal to be presented to the ESA Ministerial Council this week is the result of the Interministerial Working Group for Space, created in 2025 by the Government, formed by the government areas of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Territorial Cohesion, National Defence and Education, Science and Innovation, and extended to Infrastructure and Housing, Internal Administration, Environment and Energy, Agriculture and the Sea, and the Regional Governments of the Azores and Madeira whenever justified.