Regional Government bolsters scientific and technological cooperation within RAEGE Network - Communication

Secretaria Regional dos Assuntos Parlamentares e Comunidades

The Azorean Government welcomes a high-level Spanish delegation between today and Wednesday to strengthen institutional and scientific cooperation through the Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations (RAEGE).

The Spanish delegation, led by the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Rafael Guerra Posadas, also includes the Director-General of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), Laura Barbas Calvo, and the Director of RAEGE, José Antonio López Pérez.

The visit included an institutional meeting with the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, as part of an agenda focused on highlighting the success of bilateral cooperation and looking ahead to the future of space infrastructure in the Region.

The partnership under RAEGE, initially established through a Memorandum of Understanding in 2010, is embodied in an exemplary manner at the Santa Maria Geodetic Station.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology – including a VGOS radio telescope, satellite positioning systems (GNSS), gravimetry instruments and high-precision timing equipment – this scientific infrastructure is now fully established and integrated into international observation networks for the study of Earth dynamics, geophysics and radio astronomy.

At the meeting with Paulo Estêvão, the crucial role played by the Azores in the European space sector was highlighted, leveraging their unique geostrategic position in the North Atlantic to generate high-value scientific knowledge and attract skilled human resources.

During the institutional visit and the subsequent technical discussions, the prospects for the Network’s future development were also addressed, with particular emphasis on the possible implementation of the future station planned for the island of Flores, which is part of the project’s original design.

The Government of the Azores is fully committed to continuing technical and institutional dialogue with IGN, assessing the conditions required to foster new opportunities for cooperation.

With this visit by the Spanish delegation, the Azorean Government reiterates its commitment to establishing the archipelago as a leading Atlantic hub for science, innovation and space technologies.