The Regional Secretary for Science, Technology and Infrastructures welcomes the fact that the student team from Vila do Porto Basic and Secondary will represent Portugal in a competition sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The students from Santa Maria will participate in this event to take place in April in Norway, where they will present the project "Azorean Shearwater," a mini-satellite designed to measure temperature and pressure, calculate altitude during descent and take georeferenced photographs through a GPS module.

The government official praised the students' initiative in participating in a worldwide event on space technology.

José Contente reiterated the importance of ESA station on Santa Maria, in the multiple dimensions that the space station has brought to the Azores, from creating quality jobs to strengthening Atlantic centrality.

During next year the Santa Maria station - the only European Space Agency installed in Portugal - will play a crucial role in the launching process of the first two satellites of the future Galileo constellation.

One should recall that the National Atlantic Maritime Surveillance Centre, operated by Edisoft, is also installed on Santa Maria. This infrastructure projects the Azores and Portugal in the context of the European Maritime Safety Agency.

During 2013, the Santa Maria Station will be involved in new missions, such as VEGA1, Ariane5 (ATV3) and Soyuz2, and the launching of the new Galileo satellites. In addition, 2014 will be a year of intense activity for this station, which will include the launching of the remaining Galileo constellation.

José Contente also restated that the "the Government of the Azores promoted this new spatial dimension in the right time. The Santa Maria station corresponded to the investment in the ground sector of this infrastructure."