🇵🇹Santa Maria Spaceport
Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal, Portugal
Country
🇵🇹 Portugal
Region
Europe
Established
2025
Launches / Year
0
Coordinates
36.9695° N, 25.1690° W
About
Santa Maria Spaceport, operated by the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC), is Portugal's first licensed launch facility, located on Santa Maria Island in the Azores archipelago. Granted a five-year operating license in August 2025, it offers a unique mid-Atlantic launch corridor with open ocean trajectories in multiple directions. The site at Malbusca is also designated as ESA's landing site for the Space Rider reusable orbital vehicle, with suborbital flights planned for 2026 and orbital launches targeting 2027.
Key Features
Portugal's first licensed spaceport — five-year operating license granted August 2025
Mid-Atlantic location at 37 deg N provides unique launch corridor over open ocean
Designated landing site for ESA's Space Rider reusable orbital vehicle
First confirmed tenants include SpaceForest (suborbital) and Innospace (orbital)
Strategic position between Europe and the Americas for flexible orbital access
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
SpaceForest PERUN suborbital rocket planned as first launch in spring 2026
Innospace Hanbit orbital launches planned from 2026-2027
ESA Space Rider inaugural landing targeted for 2028
Suborbital flight operations expected to begin in 2026