Portugal’s Azores To Host Europe’s New Space Gateway In 2026

Portugal is positioning nan Azores arsenic Europe’s adjacent awesome abstraction motorboat site, pinch Santa Maria group to big nan continent’s newest spaceport.

In August, 2025, nan Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) received a five-year licence to run nan installation – nan first of its benignant successful Portugal.

The move places Portugal alongside different European nations competing successful nan fast-growing mini outer motorboat market, which has seen rising request for debased Earth orbit (LEO) missions.

Why Santa Maria was chosen for nan spaceport

Santa Maria, nan southernmost land of nan Azores, offers respective advantages:

• Mid-Atlantic location – perfect for orbital trajectories pinch less conflicts pinch aerial and oversea routes.
• EU territory – strategically important for Europe’s autonomy successful abstraction launches.
• Existing infrastructure – including an ESA search station, a 3,048-metre runway, and a mini port.

According to AeroTime, Ricardo Conde, Director of nan Portuguese Space Agency, confirmed nan task has been portion of nan nationalist abstraction strategy since 2018, though regulatory approvals delayed progress.

Bruno Carvalho, ASC’s Managing Director, revealed nan consortium has already signed contracts pinch 4 motorboat providers. In July 2025, Polish patient SpaceForest agreed to motorboat its PERUN suborbital rocket from nan Azores.

The first commercialized motorboat is scheduled for May 2026, pinch ASC targeting 12 to 14 launches per year, rising to a maximum of 20 erstwhile operations stabilise.

Experimental trial flights person already taken place. In October 2024, ASC successfully launched atmospheric rockets to 7,000 metres, testing logistics and procedures earlier securing nan licence.

Competing pinch different European spaceports

The Azores will compete pinch projects successful Scotland, Cornwall, Norway, and nan Canary Islands.

For expats surviving successful Portugal and Spain, nan Azores spaceport represents much than conscionable rocket launches. It could bring:

• New jobs and finance to nan Azores and mainland Portugal.
• Tourism opportunities, arsenic rocket launches are expected to pull world visitors.
• Regional prestige, positioning Portugal arsenic a leader successful Europe’s abstraction economy.

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