Ricardo Conde, President of the Portuguese Space Agency and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher signed a cooperation agreement between for the development of a space hub on the Santa Maria island of the Azores, including the construction of facilities for a Space Rider landing site on 27 November 2025. The formalisation of this agreement was witnessed by the Portuguese Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, and the Portuguese Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Helena Canhão, and the Italian Minister for Enterprises, Adolfo Urso,
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher commented: “Today’s signature strengthens Portugal’s role as a strategic Atlantic gateway for innovation and growth and highlights their commitment to the space sector. This agreement is key to the next chapter of Space Rider, Europe’s first fully reusable space vehicle building on the success of the IXV mission, an experimental space shuttle developed in Italy. Space Rider will enable Europe to return payloads from LEO competitively, with first launch planned for 2028. Santa Maria will be essential to this capability. Beyond Space Rider, this partnership lays the foundations for a multipurpose space hub serving Portuguese, European, and global actors, driving innovation and economic development in the Azores.”