New Space Portugal at the “Terra em Foco – Earth Observation Conference”

In a session moderated by Emir Sirage, Executive Director of the NEW SPACE PORTUGAL program – titled “Satellite EO Constellations and Future Perspectives” – André Oliveira from N3O, João Bentes de Jesus from GEOSAT, Pedro Costa from the Portuguese Air Force, and Jorge Cano Martínez from Open Cosmos (four entities participating in this consortium) discussed the challenges faced by the national sector during this phase of growth and establishment. They shared their perspectives on how Portugal should position itself to accelerate a national industry increasingly capable of competing in the global markets of Innovation, Sustainability, and Defense.

Among other topics, André Oliveira emphasized the importance of attracting and retaining national and foreign talent to the country (as N3O is already doing, he noted), in order to build internal capacity, ensure autonomy from external suppliers, and develop technology quickly to strengthen Portugal’s position in Europe.

In turn, João Bentes de Jesus explained how GEOSAT is balancing the introduction of AI into the data processing of its satellite images with human expertise to consistently maintain and ensure the reliability of its products.

Colonel Pedro Costa highlighted the importance of the future satellite constellations planned under the NEW SPACE PORTUGAL program for the Portuguese Air Force, particularly the Atlantic Constellation, which is crucial for monitoring the territory and ensuring the surveillance of Portugal’s vast exclusive economic zone.

Finally, Jorge Cano Martínez acknowledged that Open Cosmos’ decision to expand to Portugal was driven by opportunities created by the PRR (Recovery and Resilience Plan), but the synergies that the national team has established with the company’s other European offices have become a key asset for business development.

The session took place during 'Terra em Foco - National Earth Observation Conference' organized by the Portuguese Space Agency at the University of Minho, which also featured the participation of Tekever and Dragonfly Aerospace. The event, running until tomorrow, includes other consortium members such as Colab +ATLANTIC, VdA - Vieira de Almeida, and Nova SBE - School of Business and Economics.

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