RE², the network of Portuguese
space explorers, officially launched
The Portuguese Space Explorers Network currently brings together 55 researchers, academics, and industry professionals.
Registration for RE² is now open.
The geographical dispersion is proof of the need: from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, from San Francisco in the United States of America to Braga or Lisbon, around thirty Portuguese professionals working in space exploration gathered for the first meeting of the Space Explorers Network (RE²). Until now, these professionals lacked a common space to debate, share knowledge, discover opportunities, and even form partnerships and business ventures — a gap that the network has now filled.
The first meeting, which brought together 30 of the 55 members who are already part of RE², served as much more than just formal introductions: it was an opportunity for the members themselves to voice what they want this network to become. The conclusion was clear: there is a need for a structured platform where everyone working in space exploration can share projects, find partners, promote opportunities, and exchange knowledge and experience.
“There is a community of Portuguese people working in space exploration with a depth and diversity that rarely gets the visibility it deserves and, as a result, they don’t always know each other or interact in a way that benefits the entire ecosystem. RE² was created to change that,” says Joan Alabart, Space Exploration and Entrepreneurship Programme Manager at the Portuguese Space Agency, who notes that registration for RE² remains open.
RE² has emerged as an initiative of the Portuguese Space Agency, but its ultimate goal is to achieve autonomy. The choice of name, decided by the members themselves during this first meeting, was the first sign of this. “The next meeting should take place within six months,” Joan Alabart adds.
The diversity of the network also reflects the sheer breadth of this field of knowledge. Current members are split between academic research and industry, with a quarter of them working in foreign institutions, including the European Space Agency (ESA) or various companies within the sector. The fields covered range from space robotics to astrobiology, spanning space medicine, materials engineering, space analogues, and in-orbit operations. Mars is the most recurring theme and, therefore, the most frequently cited destination. Getting there, as everyone knows, is a team effort that begins long before departure. And it is a journey that can also involve RE².
