Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) secures licence to operate a Spaceport in Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal.
This is the first ever Spaceport licence to be issued by the Portuguese Space Authority (ANACOM) under the Portuguese legal framework updated in 2024.
The Malbusca Launch Centre, located at 36º55’57”N, 25º04’12”W, offers several competitive advantages, including: low air traffic density, integrated into the Santa Maria Oceanic Flight Information Region (FIR), managed by NAV Portugal; low maritime traffic density and a vast area of the Atlantic Ocean that will allow for safe flights and re-entry; and the ability to use launch trajectories that will eventually allow space objects to be placed in commercially attractive orbits.
Located in Portugal, within the European Union, the Malbusca Launch Centre is positioned to contribute to greater European autonomy in access to space and to add value to the global space economy.
The license now obtained will allow the ASC to advance to the next level of activity, continuing to attract launcher operators, who will now be able to initiate their own licensing processes, designating the Malbusca Launch Centre as their spaceport. The ASC will be ready to support them in these processes and welcome them to Santa Maria, having already signed contracts for the first suborbital flights to occur in the spring of 2026.
Read the full press release in English here:
http://spaceport.pt/press/ASC-2025-PR-0802-Spaceport-Licence-EN-V1.0.pdf
Read the full press release in Portuguese here:
https://spaceport.pt/press/ASC-2025-PR-0801-Licença-Centro-de-Lançamento-PT-V1.1.pdf
