“It’s a satellite that was made by and made in Portugal. The whole philosophy behind this satellite can even be transported to other projects, because it’s a project by a very large team, but above all it’s very much aimed at higher education students.” The words of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, describe ISTSat-1, Técnico’s first CubeSat, which stands out as the first university satellite entirely developed and manufactured in Portugal. On a visit to the Taguspark campus of the Instituto Superior Técnico on 11 March, the minister praised the project, before the satellite’s departure for French Guiana to join the maiden flight of the Ariane 6 rocket, scheduled for June or July 2024, according to forecasts by the European Space Agency (ESA).

“What’s here is the result of several master’s theses, doctoral theses, all together with the guidance of the supervisors themselves, the professors here at Instituto Superior Técnico. It’s a source of pride not only for Técnico and the University of Lisbon, but above all for Portugal,” emphasises Elvira Fortunato.

During the visit, which was accompanied by Rogério Colaço, president of Instituto Superior Técnico, it was possible to see the IST NanosatLab clean room, inaugurated in 2022 by Técnico and the Telecommunications Institute (IT), which houses ISTsat-1, the IST NanosatLab laboratory and the CS5CEP satellite tracking room.

To reach this point, the project has undergone several stages of development, involving many hours of work since it began its journey in 2017, when it was one of the projects chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA). Amongst students and teachers, it is estimated that around 50 people have actively contributed to the project, and more than 20 master’s theses have been written.

After consecutive postponements and the fulfilment of demanding technical requirements, it is estimated that ISTSat-1 and the CubeSats of other teams in the European Fly Your Satellite (FYS!) project will be launched in the summer of 2024, incorporated on the new Ariane 6 launcher on its maiden flight.

More information: “110 Histórias | 110 Objetos” Podcast – Episode 34: ISTSAT-1, the first Portuguese CubeSat

Photo gallery of the visit

*The consortium promoting the ISTSat-1 project includes: Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC-ID), Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Microssistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN), Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores Inovação (INOV), Mechanical Engineering Institute (IDMEC) and Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa).