Portugal hosts the Space Studies Program
of the International Space University in 2022

The International Space University (ISU) has awarded the Portuguese Space Agency (Portugal Space) and the Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon) the honour of organizing the next edition of the Space Studies Program, which will take place between July and September 2022. The decision was announced this Tuesday, 23 February, with the ISU recognizing “the high quality of the proposal” submitted by Portugal.

“The ISU Board of Directors recognized the high quality of the proposal submitted by the Portuguese Space Agency and the University of Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico, and decided to hold the 2022 Space Studies Program (SSP22) in the Lisbon region, in Portugal, in the June-to-August period,” reads the statement from the international educational institution.

The project presented by the Portuguese Space Agency and IST foresees the realization of the SSP at IST’s campuses in Alameda, Lisbon, or Taguspark, Oeiras – a choice that the ISU will make in the coming months.

“It is a great honour to see Portugal selected as a destination for the 2022 edition of the SSP. It’s another step in the realization of the Portugal Space 2030 strategy, since it places the Portuguese Space Agency as a promoter of opportunities associated with education and capacity development of the space sector, and creates a link to an internationally recognized university in our sector. It is also an opportunity to make a showcase of the national capabilities and bring our industry and academy closer to the main international agencies and world industry,” says Hugo Costa, director of the Portuguese Space Agency and ISU alumnus.

“Instituto Superior Técnico is very proud to have been selected, in its joint application with Portugal Space, as the first Portuguese higher-education institution to receive this important program in Space Science and Technology. We have several lines of teaching and research focused on space, and it will be exciting to share them, to learn from the best experts worldwide, and to receive the most committed students,” says Rogério Colaço, President of the Instituto Superior Técnico.

Inspired by Portugal’s connection to the sea, the Portuguese proposal foresees that SSP22 will focus on the theme of Earth observation, the ocean and climate change. The program, which has strong support from all departments and research centers connected to Instituto Superior Técnico, will include student contact with the Portuguese space ecosystem, such as field trips to research centers and national companies, with start-ups among them. This was recognized by the ISU: “The Portuguese proposal includes access to national expertise in space-related matters in universities, research centers, government agencies and private companies. These resources, combined with high-level academic and residential facilities and a welcoming and safe environment, make SSP very promising in 2022.”

“Although SSP22 will be held in the Lisbon metropolitan area – at the Alameda campus in Lisbon or at the Taguspark campus in Oeiras – our goal is to encompass the largest number of national players in the space sector who want to be associated with the event. We want it to be possible, for example, to make professional visits to the different institutions all over the country, and for this to be a national effort in the promotion of space. In this sense, we would like to thank the Instituto Superior Técnico for having responded positively to the Agency’s challenge, the Oeiras City Hall for the interest shown in hosting many of the events planned for SSP22, and also the ISU alumni involved in the proposal,” says Hugo Costa.  

About the SSP program

The SSP is an intense, live-in professional development experience lasting two-months, designed for postgraduate students and professionals of all disciplines. A typical SSP class gathers some 120 participants from 25 or more nationalities.

Since the founding of ISU in the late 1980s, each year the SSP is held in a different location across the globe. Moving to a new city and country adds an exciting dynamic as well as new resources and expertise to the program.

The curriculum covers the principal space related fields, both non-technical and technical and ranges from policy, economics and law, business and management, humanities, engineering, physical sciences, space applications and human performance in space. A typical SSP benefits from the knowledge and expertise of some 150 members of the ISU global faculty and other experts from around the world.

The shared experience of an international, interactive working environment is an ideal networking forum leading to the creation of an extensive, international, multidisciplinary professional network comprising the program’s alumni, faculty members and visiting lecturers.

Through the exchange of ideas and information, this network has been successful in advancing projects in such areas as disaster warning and mitigation systems, human health enhancement using space technologies, and has even significantly contributed to the creation of a national space agency.