Portugal joins international partnership for space exploration

28th March 2022

“We're proud to announce the signing of a MoU with Portugal. This partnership will strengthen the work developed so far, whose main objective is to ensure and promote the countries’ access to solutions in the space sector, and to improve life on planet Earth", said Jason Reimuller, founder of IIAS. "Our scientific and space exploration activities, from planetary geology to microgravity flight missions, are a unique opportunity to increase knowledge, and together we will be able to open many doors, so that everyone can be part of space exploration, towards a more sustainable future," he concluded.

The Portuguese partner entities include the Portuguese Space Agency (Portugal Space), the Porto School of Engineering (ISEP) and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP). The partnership will promote equitable and inclusive access to innovative opportunities for collaboration and research. The teams involved will work together on different activities at the international level to promote advances in areas such as geosciences, robotics, bioastronautics and suborbital science. The agreement also aims at the development of collaborative research projects, facilitating access to top facilities, training, as well as contact with experts, towards disseminating the most important advances and discoveries.

João Claro, Vice-Chairman of the Board and CEO of INESC TEC, stated that “following INESC TEC's motto – from knowledge production to science-based innovation – we have crossed new frontiers in science and technology, as part of the Portuguese space ecosystem, not only in our region, but at national and European level. The recently concluded Memorandum of Understanding will strengthen our contribution to the advancement of space innovation, education, and culture, notably in the areas of robotics, geotechnology, sensors, STEM, outreach, etc., in partnership with our strategic partners. We have high expectations and are very focused on this MoU, and on this new era of space exploration. Partnerships, based on important skills at the space level, will be essential to leverage new challenges and opportunities for our institution, and for the country.”.

This Memorandum of Understanding is the first agreement signed under Space For All Nations, an initiative by IIAS, where Rui Moura and Ana Pires (INESC TEC researchers) are Chair and Co-Chair, respectively. Space For All Nations enables emerging nations and communities in the space sector to participate and contribute significantly to new solutions and innovations to preserve the planet.