Portuguese Air Force launches its first postgraduate program in "Space in National Defense and Security"

The postgraduate program Space in National Defense and Security, promoted by the Portuguese Air Force Academy, began this week, marking another important milestone in the implementation of the New Space Portugal Agenda.

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The launch of the course was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Cartaxo Alves, and the Secretary of State for Defense, Ana Isabel Xavier, who congratulated the institution for its “pioneering spirit, vision and ambition” in conducting this program. She emphasized the inevitable need to integrate space technologies into the country's defense systems, given the strong “dependence on space resources, both for the public and private sectors, as well as for civil society.”

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In this regard, she revealed, “the Government has included in its program the goal of equipping the Armed Forces with capabilities that will also ensure their missions in the domain of space. To this end, it may be worthwhile to revisit the 'Portugal Space 2030' Strategy and the 'Defense for Space 2020-2030' Strategy, with a view to a timely and appropriate update that keeps pace with the rapidly accelerating dynamics of the space sector.”

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General Cartaxo Alves further explained that “this postgraduate course will be a privileged forum for reflection, allowing for a better understanding of the space sector”, enabling the institution to “operate, support, and sustain operations using aerospace systems”, thus serving as “another lever in building a modern and technologically advanced Air Force for the future.”

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Running until the end of this year, the postgraduate course is led by Colonel Pedro Costa, with this first edition attended by 21 participants: 14 military personnel and seven civilians. The first lecture was held in the auditorium of the Armed Forces Academy in Pêro Pinheiro and was delivered by Professor Fernando de Oliveira Carvalho Rodrigues, known as the ‘Father of the first Portuguese satellite’.

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