Portugal satellite plant in Alverca to start this year
A new satellite production unit near Lisbon is due to be completed by end-June and begin operations this year, supporting Portugal’s push into the space sector.
Portugal’s new satellite factory in Alverca is due to be completed by the end of June and is expected to start production later this year, according to the Portuguese Air Force in comments to ECO. The project adds manufacturing capacity to Portugal’s emerging space sector and is tied to European defence-related satellite plans.
The first satellites to be integrated at the Alverca Space Hub are expected to be those included in the European SAFE loan programme, an Air Force spokesperson said. The 600-square-metre facility, near OGMA in Alverca, is being built on Air Force premises and will focus on SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites, although its base requirements also allow for optical and communications satellites.
The Air Force said the project is part of the New Space Portugal mobilising agenda and is being developed by a consortium led by CEiiA, alongside CTI Aeroespacial, N3O and GEOSAT, under the Atlantic Constellation project. The Alverca unit has €1.5 million in funding from Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. The spokesperson said the start of production still depends on equipment calibration and certification tests, as well as staff training.
The initial workforce is estimated at 30 people in highly specialised roles, according to the Air Force. Separately, the Air Force said it is still negotiating the purchase of land in Santa Maria, in the Azores, for a future spaceport project also backed by Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, with €15 million in funding.
Originally published at Eco.pt
