Portugal Space Startup Showcases Launch Success in Key Demonstration

Atlantic SpacePort Consortium (ASC) has successfully launched atmospheric rockets and demonstrated launch capabilities in Portugal.

The Atlantic Spaceport Consortium demonstrates its launch capabilities

The viability of a commercial launch facility on the island of Santa Maria, 1,500 kilometres off the coast of Portugal, has been successfully confirmed with the launch of two 3.35-metre GAMA rockets designed and manufactured by Atlantic SpacePort Consortium.

The first rocket was tested on 27 September. It was launched from a mobile platform and reached an altitude of 5,596 metres.

The second rocket was launched on 28 September, and according to the company, its flight ‘was not ideal’. The company did not provide additional information or technical details.

At the same time, the startup’s press office explained that the flights demonstrated the growing ambitions and national potential of the Portuguese space sector’.

‘With this initiative, we wanted to demonstrate that Portugal has the operational competence to launch and recover this type of rocket, as well as the industrial capacity to develop and manufacture them,’ said Bruno Carvalho, director of the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium. ‘Our vision is to continue the fine-tuning procedures to build capacity for larger orbital rockets.’

Portugal’s first commercial spaceport

The Atlantic Spaceport Consortium was founded in 2019 to develop a commercial spaceport on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores in a balanced, sustainable, and safe manner. The consortium is made up entirely of Portuguese companies Ilex Space and Optimal Structural Solutions.

After many years of planning and development, the decision was made to explore the Azores as a potential launch site.

The island’s geographical position with access to the Atlantic Ocean offers significant advantages for space launches. In addition, the region’s stable weather conditions and sparsely populated environment are seen as crucial factors in the site’s potential.

On 13 August this year, ASC announced the signing of a cooperation agreement with NAV Portugal, the country’s national air navigation service provider responsible for air traffic management and control in Portuguese airspace.

Under the agreement, the partners plan to define guidelines for the spaceport’s future operations. These include defining exclusion zones and flight paths, exploring ways to monitor and authorise launches, and examining under what conditions to impose partial or complete launch restrictions for safety reasons.

The spaceport construction will begin in the coming years

The Atlantic SpacePort Consortium is now also seeking to begin cooperation with local authorities and stakeholders to ensure that the project is in line with the region’s sustainable development goals.

If the feasibility study yields favourable results, construction of the spaceport could begin in the coming years.

The facility will primarily focus on small satellite launches and suborbital missions, fuelling the growing demand for low-cost access to space.