It has already orbited the Earth more than 5,500 times, but 9 July marked its first complete orbit around the Sun, celebrating the first anniversary of the launch of ISTSat-1 into space aboard the Ariane 6 rocket. With dimensions of just 10 centimetres, ISTSat-1 is the first satellite completely built in Portugal. It is a result of a collaborative effort between researchers at Instituto Superior Técnico and various companies in the space sector. The satellite orbits at an altitude of 580 kilometres and exchanges information with the Satellite Tracking Station (ERS-IST) located on the School’s Oeiras campus whenever it flies over this region.
On this day, the school community gathered to celebrate the first year of activity of the third Portuguese satellite put into orbit. Rogério Colaço, the president of Técnico, stated that the construction of ISTSat-1 “unlocked something that didn’t exist a few years ago—the framework that allows us to place instrumental objects in space”. He further emphasised that the project has served “to train people, to create knowledge”, and to strengthen the School’s partnerships in the space sector. The president of Técnico concluded his speech confident that Portugal can become an important international player in this field.
The project had the financial support of Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC-ID), Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) and the Mechanical Engineering Institute (idMEC). A team of researchers at the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa) and several companies linked to the sector also participated in the project.
Rui Rocha is the project coordinator and one of the founders of the NanoSat Lab, a consortium that brought together researchers and students involved in ISTSat-1 activities. In a presentation highlighting the monitoring work done over the past year, the IT researcher and Técnico professor emphasised that the launch of the nano-satellite “was an extremely important milestone for Técnico and the space sector in Portugal”. For the NanoSat Lab team, the success of the project ‘represented the culmination of a long journey filled with challenges’.
To celebrate this occasion, the main atrium of Técnico – Oeiras campus hosted a debate session. Joana Mendonça, vice-president for Oeiras campus, compared the moment to a baby’s first steps, stating, “the first step is fundamental, but we know it is only the beginning of what we expect to be a long journey”. The debate was moderated by João Paulo Monteiro, a Técnico professor and researcher at ISR-Lisboa, who also shared contemporary and future projects of the NanoSat Lab. Tiago Peres, a Técnico alumnus and member of the Portuguese Space Agency, and Daniel Reis from LUSOSPACE also participated in the debate.
Pedro Patacho, a councillor at the Oeiras Town Council, affirmed the “municipality’s commitment to collaborating with Técnico”, emphasising that the space sector is a priority that requires further investment. Ricardo Conde, the President of the Portuguese Space Agency, congratulated those involved in the ISTSat-1 project and assured that “Portugal will have access to space” due in part to the results of this initiative, as “legislation will allow us to do so”.
