Portugal Air Force expands role into space sector

Portugal’s Air Force is expanding its role into space, with a new Space Operations Centre now active and a first satellite already launched, speakers said at ECO’s annual eRadar conference in Lisbon on Thursday.

Colonel Pedro Costa, head of the Air Force’s Space Operations Centre, said the unit began operations on September 24, 2024, and described the launch of its first satellite in May as a key milestone. He said it is the first in a planned network of 10 satellites licensed in this initial phase.

According to Pedro Costa, those satellites will be integrated into the Atlantic Constellation, a project involving Spain and combining defence uses with participation from space companies such as Geosat. He said the programme “is being developed alongside Portugal’s domestic industrial sector”.

At the same event, Portuguese Space Agency president Ricardo Conde said defence is becoming a more important driver of change in the space sector and argued that Portugal should use its Atlantic geography as a strategic asset. He said that position could support Europe’s broader ambitions in defence and space, which he linked to the idea of a European Space Shield.

Originally published at Eco.pt