The fourth annual New Space Atlantic Summit conference was held on the 8th, at the São Francisco Convent in Coimbra, an initiative organized by the Portuguese Space Agency – Portugal Space, in the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Under the theme New Space for People, this conference promoted debate on the use of space data and technologies to fight climate change and on how space can contribute to economic growth and the well-being of society through the use of space technologies and applications in non-space sectors and public policies.
Carlos Cerqueira, coordinator of ESA Space Solutions Portugal and Director of Innovation at Instituto Pedro Nunes, gave a talk on the support of the ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC Portugal) to boost startups interested in using space technology to develop new downstream applications and new space
“Commercial Space is becoming more and more a sector of the portuguese economy, generating skilled jobs and return on investment,” said Carlos Cerqueira.
Building on the success of previous years, the New Space Atlantic Summit, which is already a must-attend event for the New Space ecosystem in the Atlantic, promoted debates on current and pertinent issues that involved public and private space sector players from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Also present was the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, who called on the European space industry to mobilize and become competitive, stating that “this is not the time for profound reflections, but for action.
Other speakers included the director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications of the European Space Agency, Elodie Viau, the executive director of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, Rodrigo da Costa, the president of the Portuguese Space Agency, Ricardo Conde, and the president of the National Innovation Agency, Joana Mendonça.
The conference also discussed entrepreneurship in the space sector, current and future initiatives involving Atlantic Earth Observation Satellites, Destination Earth and Digital Planet projects, access to space, and space traffic management, topics that are crucial to the Atlantic rim countries and their cooperation in space.
