Call Satellite Launches in the Azores received 14 proposals

The first phase of the Atlantic International Satellite Launch Program (ATLANTIC ISLP) received 14 expressions of interest from international consortia, which expressed their interest in collaborating with Portuguese companies and national research and engineering centers to design, install, and operate a spaceport on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. This initiative was launched last September in partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Azores Space Mission Structure (EMA – Espaço), with technical support from the European Space Agency (ESA).

This phase, which ended on October 31, 2018, consisted of expressions of interest from entities that can guarantee the development and operation of a new generation of satellite launch services into space. The 14 expressions of interest submitted include companies from several countries (11 from the European Union, 2 from the US, and 1 from Russia), which have declared an interest in operating across the entire value chain associated with the new generation of small satellite launch services into space. It should be noted that the proposals include innovative solutions for access to space with micro-launchers (representing 7 proposals), systems and software engineering products and services, and innovations related to ground infrastructure.

The Atlantic International Satellite Launch Program consists of several distinct phases, aimed at stimulating the creation of skilled jobs and leveraging new space projects with high added value, which could guarantee growth and a new impetus for existing projects on the island of Santa Maria, as well as for national companies and research and technological development centers in this sector, positioning the country and the region at the forefront of the development of a new generation of space activities based on small satellites. It is expected that, once all the phases of evaluation and analysis of feasibility and contractual processes have been completed, the first launch services will begin operating in the Azores in the spring/summer of 2021.

The 14 expressions of interest will now be reviewed by a High-Level International Committee, composed of nine national and foreign experts of recognized international standing and coordinated by Jean Jacques Dordain, former Director General of ESA. The first meeting of this Commission will take place in early November 2018, with the aim of recommending a list of candidates to be invited to participate in the second phase of this program and defining the requirements of the call for tenders for the second phase (Competitive Bidding Phase).

The selection process will proceed with the following steps:

• January-February 2019: Phase 2 – submission of proposals in response to the “International Call for Tender for Launch Services to Space from the Island of Santa Maria,” to be defined based on the analysis of proposals submitted in Phase 1 (October 2018).

• February-March 2019: Evaluation process, including a public presentation of proposals.

• March–May 2019: Final Evaluation Phase.

• End of May 2019: Final negotiations with companies/consortia.

• June 2019: Contract for the development and operation of the spaceport.

• May/June 2019 to May/June 2021 (2 years): Analysis and external evaluation of the implementation phase.

• Spring/Summer 2021: first launch services scheduled to operate in the Azores.

 List of companies that submitted expressions of interest in the first phase of the International Atlantic Satellite Launch Program: