Active Space wins €3m satellite order, targets Middle East

Portugal’s Active Space Technologies has secured its largest purchase order yet for structural components for 340 satellites, a contract worth between €2.5 million and €3 million that highlights the growing role of small Portuguese suppliers in Europe’s space industry. The Coimbra-based company will deliver the parts by June 2028 for what its chief executive described as the world’s second-largest satellite constellation.

Chief executive Filipe Castanheira told ECO/eRadar that the customer is a European player whose identity cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons. He said Active Space has been part of that constellation’s supply chain for four and a half years and now supplies six components for each satellite. The company, which has around 35 employees, generates annual turnover of about €4 million.

Castanheira also said the European market remains the company’s main focus, with Active Space supplying manufacturers including Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, OHB, Beyond Gravity, APCO, Sener and ICEYE. The company is also involved in European Space Agency missions including Plato, Ariel and Envision, the latter a mission to Venus.

Alongside its European business, Active Space is preparing an initial push into the Middle East under an internationalisation programme supported by AICEP, Portugal’s trade and investment agency. Castanheira said the company is targeting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, particularly in space-related defence, dual-use technologies and telecommunications, with first prospecting visits expected to begin this year.

Originally published at Eco.pt