Paulo Estêvão welcomes Azores’ inclusion as full member of Interministerial Working Group on Space - Communication

Secretaria Regional dos Assuntos Parlamentares e Comunidades

The Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, welcomed the official inclusion of the Autonomous Region of the Azores as a full member of the new Interministerial Working Group on Space.

The new structure of this national coordination body was made official through Order no. 4643/2026, published in the Official Gazette. It ensures the direct participation of the Regional Government of the Azores (and Madeira) in all meetings and strategic decision-making processes.

The published decree justifies the inclusion of the autonomous regions due to the “geostrategic importance of the Atlantic islands in the national and European context.”

The document clearly acknowledges that “the Azores’ position in the Atlantic provides a point of access and return for space activities of great geostrategic significance, something that is recognised internationally.”   

For the Regional Secretary, who oversees the space sector within the Regional Government, this active presence in European and national decision-making bodies – particularly in coordinating positions with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union – is already yielding practical benefits of enormous significance for the archipelago.

“Our involvement has already yielded a tangible result: progress towards the construction of the Santa Maria Space Technology Centre, which will be used to land unmanned spacecraft,” noted Paulo Estêvão.

This flagship project for the island of Santa Maria, developed in collaboration with ESA, represents an overall investment of about €15 million (with €3 million from the Azorean Government).

Full integration into this Working Group consolidates the comprehensive strategy pursued by the Regional Government for the development of the regional space ecosystem.

The aim is not merely to create infrastructures, but to develop local talent.

One example of this is the recent agreement reached with the University of the Azores to establish a cooperation agreement aimed at training qualified personnel in the aerospace technology and research fields.

Alongside higher education, this department has been focusing on engaging young people in scientific literacy. This is reflected in the record number of 40 Azorean students selected this year for the 5th edition of the Portuguese Space Agency’s national programme “Astronaut for a Day," whose parabolic flight will be carried out again from Santa Maria Island next September.

The Government of the Azores, therefore, reiterates its commitment to strengthening the regional space ecosystem. It will work in close collaboration with the Portuguese Government and international partners to attract investment, create highly skilled jobs and consolidate state-of-the-art technological infrastructures in the Region, ensuring that future generations of Azoreans have real career opportunities in the aerospace sector.