The Portuguese Space Agency, Portugal Space, and Instituto Superior Técnico were selected by the International Space University (ISU) to host the 2022 edition of the Space Studies Program (SSP). The announcement was made this Tuesday, 23rd February, with the ISU recognizing “the high quality of the proposal” submitted by Portugal. The program will bring to Portugal more than one hundred students, professors and Space experts from the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA and other space agencies.
The ISU statement says “The ISU Board of Directors recognized the high quality of the proposal submitted by the Portuguese Space Agency and the University of Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico, and decided to hold the 2022 Space Studies Program (SSP22) in the Lisbon region, in Portugal, in the period from June to August”.
Although the ISU central Campus is located in Strasbourg, France, each year the SSP is held in a different location across the globe. Moving to a new city and country adds an exciting dynamic as well as new resources and expertise to the program.
The project presented by the Portuguese Space Agency and Técnico foresees the possibility of holding the SSP22 at Alameda campus, located in Lisbon, or at Taguspark campus, located in Oeiras. The ISU will decide on this matter in the coming months.
“Técnico is very proud to have been selected, in its joint application with Portugal Space, as the first Portuguese higher education institution to host this important program”, says the president of Técnico, professor Rogério Colaço. “We have several lines of research and academic programs focused on Space, so it will be very exciting to share them and to learn from the leading experts worldwide, and also to welcome the most committed students”.
“It is a great honour to see Portugal selected as a destination for the 2022 edition of the SSP. It’s another step in the realization of the Portugal Space 2030 strategy, since it places the Portuguese Space Agency as a promoter of opportunities associated with education and capacity development of the space sector, and creates a link to an internationally recognized university in our sector. It is also an opportunity to make a showcase of the national capabilities and bring our industry and academy closer to the main international agencies and world industry”, says Hugo Costa, director of the Portuguese Space Agency and ISU alumnus.
Inspired by Portugal’s connection to the sea, the Portuguese proposal foresees that SSP22 will focus on the theme of Earth observation, the ocean and climate change. The program, which has strong support from all Técnico departments and research centres with a link to Técnico, will include student contact with the Portuguese space ecosystem, such as visits to research centres and national companies, including start-ups.
According to ISU “the Portuguese proposal includes access to national expertise in space-related matters in universities, research centres, government agencies and private companies. These resources, combined with high-level academic and residential facilities and a welcoming and safe environment, make SSP very promising in 2022.”
About the SSP:
The Space Studies Program is an intense two-month professional development course for postgraduate students and professionals of all disciplines. A typical SSP class gathers 120 participants from 25 or more nationalities.
The curriculum covers the principal space related fields, both non-technical and technical, and ranges from policy, economics and law, business and management, humanities, engineering, physical sciences, space applications among many others.
The shared experience of an international, interactive working environment is an ideal networking forum leading to the creation of an extensive, international, multidisciplinary professional network comprising the program’s alumni, faculty members and visiting lecturers.
