Portugal has taken an important step in the development of the space industry, granting the first ever license to manage the spaceport.
The license was obtained by the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) for launches from Santa Maria Island (Azores Islands). Five-year license, provided by ASC, applies to the operation of the launch center in Malbuska, but does not include individual permits for launches. Each mission will require separate licenses and security assessments. The licensing process was carried out in close cooperation with ANACOM, by the national space agency of Portugal.
Expected, that the launch pad will initially provide suborbital flights, which can start as early as 2026 year. Santa Maria is also building infrastructure to host the European Space Agency's Space Rider spacecraft, which is being developed as Europe's first reusable space transport system, and a demonstration mission is currently expected in 2027 year.
The project is part of Portugal Space's national space strategy 2030, which should turn the country into a European platform for access to space, taking advantage of the strategic location of the Azores in the North Atlantic (for 1400 kilometers west of Lisbon on mainland Portugal).
After commissioning, Malbuska will join other European spaceports, in particular SaxaVord (Scotland), Andøya (Norway) and Esrange (Sweden).
Source: https://www.space.com