Education Minister praises important moment of satellite launch

Education Minister Fernando Alexandre praised Thursday the “important moment” of the launch of the Portuguese satellite ISTSat-1, which allows the country to enter a “decisive zone”.

The minister was speaking at the Instituto Superior Tecnica (IST) in Oeiras, where the Portuguese nanosatellite was created and will be installed on board the new European Ariane 6 rocket launched today from French Guiana.

Speaking a few minutes before the launch, the minister stressed that this moment symbolizes the connection with what was done in Portugal “a few years ago” and what today allows Portugal “to enter a decisive area – aerospace”.

But the point is also important, he said, because Europe again has autonomy in placing satellites in space, having previously relied on missiles from the United States.

Fernando Alexandre also stressed that developments in the aerospace sector make it possible to link science and applied science, “which solves humanity’s problems”, allowing it to be applied in other sectors, such as defence.

Today, he warned, investing in defence is investing in a critical area. “If Portugal remains on the sidelines, we will not be able to take advantage of the skills and talent we generate here and will probably continue to feed the industries of other countries,” he said.

The Portuguese satellite was built by IST students and faculty. Rogerio Colaço, IST President, highlighted the teamwork involved in building ISTSat-1, which was created as a project in 2016 and is “an example of how IST dreams come true.”

“We believe that today we are taking a step towards allowing the country to enter the space race,” he said, recalling Posat-1, the first Portuguese satellite launched into orbit 30 years ago.

Now that “the country has the knowledge” and capabilities, the next satellites will come faster, whether monitoring space, marine areas, disasters or fresh water, he said.

And because “it is necessary to work together”, IST, the Chamber of Oeiras, the CEIIA Engineering Centre and the AED Portugal Cluster signed a cooperation protocol.

Isaltino Morais, president of the Chamber of Oeiras, said the municipality has already invested 40 million euros in research, education and science in the municipality over the past five years, forecasting the same amount for the next five years.

Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket successfully lifted off from French Guiana at 8pm (Lisbon time) on Tuesday, carrying the Portuguese ISTSat-1 nanosatellite.

This is the first flight of a rocket that will allow Europe to regain autonomous access to space.

The launch, from Europe’s space base in Kourou, French Guiana, was broadcast live on the channel of the European Space Agency (ESA), which is responsible for certifying the flights of new vehicles.

The Ariane 6 replaces the Ariane 5, which made its final flight in July 2023, and was built by France’s Ariane, which will operate commercial flights.

Among several small satellites on board the rocket is ISTSat-1, built by students and professors from the Institute of Technology (IST).

This is the first nanosatellite developed by a Portuguese university.