The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated in Paris that the installation of a new satellite tracking antenna on the island of Santa Maria is another step towards the affirmation of the Azores as an international platform for space observation.
 
Fausto Brito e Abreu spoke on the sidelines of the visit of a Portuguese ministerial delegation to the headquarters of the European Space Agency (ESA), during which the Portuguese State and this entity signed an agreement for the transfer of an antenna to increase the capacity of ESA space station on Santa Maria.
 
"The strategic position of the Azores is not only acknowledged for the sea, but also for space observation," said the Regional Secretary. He added that the increase in capacity of this satellite tracking station demonstrates "the Azorean Government's effort towards foreign investment funding, focusing on the development of new infrastructures linked to the aerospace industry based on Santa Maria Island."
 
Brito e Abreu stressed that the new 15-metre antenna, will provide a "major contribution" to the future of the Azores International Research Center (AIR Center) with regard to observational studies of the Earth and the development of new business in the aerospace sector.
 
The new antenna will complement the services provided by the antenna ESA already installed on Santa Maria that currently screens launches from the French Guiana.
 
The visit also included a workshop on the Azores International Research Center. The activity addressed the contributions that ESA may provide to the research centre that will be headquartered in the Region.
 
This was the fourth workshop for the preparation of the AIR Center, after three working meetings held in New York, São Miguel and Lisbon; there will be another meeting on this topic scheduled for September in Brussels.
 
The Portuguese delegation, led by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, also included the Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology, Fausto Brito e Abreu, the president of the Foundation for Science and Technology, Paulo Ferrão, as well as national researchers and representatives of Portuguese and European companies operating in the space sector.