New Companies and Satellites Drive Growth in Portuguese Space Sector

The Portuguese Space Agency released its activity overview for the first semester of 2025, which points to a growth trajectory for the national space sector. This period was marked by the registration and launch of two new satellites in Portugal, the creation of new companies, and the awarding of the most significant volume of contracts ever by the European Space Agency (ESA) to Portuguese companies for a single mission, the LISA mission. In the first quarter alone, financial commitments amounting to €11 million were made, of which €8.7 million relate to ESA missions.

The sector also gained three new companies, two of which are registered and operating on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. Space Forge and Stellar Kinetics, which have established operations in the Azores, will focus on the development of in-orbit manufacturing technologies and the launchers segment, respectively. At the same time, Aminhaterra is dedicated to the downstream segment. These new entities reinforce the dynamics of the national space ecosystem, which now consists of 87 companies and 46 research centres.

In April, the Biomass mission was launched, with the participation of Portuguese companies Active Space Technologies, Deimos, and Lusospace. The semester was also marked by the launch of several projects funded by PT2030. Another highlight is a series of visits by the Portuguese Space Agency to companies and research centres in preparation for the ESA Ministerial Council, scheduled for November 2025. Several workshops are planned with AED, attended by its associates, to further the debate on ESA programmes and funding needs.

The sectors of education and space promotion had an active semester with concrete results. The CubeSat Portugal programme held a three-day boot camp, allowing teams and mentors to exchange experiences and knowledge, thereby contributing to the development of competition projects and concluding the PDR (Preliminary Design Review) phase. A record number of teams have been announced as finalists in the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), with a notable increase in the number of Portuguese teams. The 2025 edition of the Astronaut for a Day initiative was also highlighted, with the announcement that, for the first time, the flight will take place in the Azores. Portugal also welcomed European astronauts, who interacted with both students and researchers, bringing the space sector closer to society and inspiring new generations.

For more information, see the presentation on the Portuguese Space Ecosystem in the 1st Semester (Portuguese version only).