A contract has been signed between the AtlanticSpaceport Consortium (ASC) and SpaceForest for the launch of the Perun suborbital vehicle from Santa Maria in spring 2026. Everything indicates that it will be the first rocket to reach space from the Portuguese spaceport. The island of Santa Maria is the strategic center for space activities in Portugal and, in September, will host the “Astronauts for a Day” initiative, in which 30 Portuguese students will have the opportunity to experience zero-gravity conditions similar to those of astronauts. This is where the Portuguese Space Agency chose to establish its headquarters, and the first flight of SpaceRider, ESA’s new reusable orbital vehicle, is scheduled to land in 2027. But before that, it should be possible to witness the first flight of a rocket launched from the Santa Maria Spaceport that reaches space, as confirmed to TEK by the director of the AtlanticSpaceport Consortium, Bruno Carvalho.

He told TEK that other negotiations are underway for the launch of suborbital vehicles. Still, Perun is “probably the first to reach space from Santa Maria,” and is expected to reach an altitude of 100 km, surpassing the Kármán line. It will be launched from a mobile platform, which ASC says is “perfect for Santa Maria.”

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.