MH-1: the first satellite developed in Portugal is about to be launched 04/03/2024

Portugal is preparing to launch its second satellite into space tonight. The MH-1 satellite is due to take off this Monday night aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, to observe and monitor the Atlantic Ocean that borders Portugal. The Aeros project is the result of an international partnership with MIT, with an investment of €2.8 million funded by PT2020. The Aeros project was led by Thales Edisoft Portugal with CEiiA and involved a consortium of 12 entities, including the companies SpinWorks and Dstelecom and the Universities of Minho, Porto and the Algarve, the Instituto Superior Técnico/IN+, CoLab + Atlântico, Okeanos and the Air Centre.

The Centre for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, IN+, took part in the economic feasibility study, specifically in defining the use cases for the satellite constellation, as well as in preparing the business plan to assess the existing technology and possible markets interested in the constellation's services.

MH-1 is the first of 30 satellites expected to be launched by the end of 2026, built and operated in Portugal for ocean observation. This new generation of satellites will replace the current satellites operated by Geosat (which, along with Airbus, is one of the two operators of very high-resolution satellites in Europe) and are part of Portugal's participation in the Atlantic Constellation.