“[Space] will certainly not only be the fourth economic
pillar, but it will also be a pillar in terms of sustainability”,
Santos stated after the presentation of the Azores Space Strategy
(EAE - in Portuguese), following an international conference on the
subject held in Ponta Delgada.
Luís Santos recalled that,
according to an estimate by Bank of America, the minimum expected
growth rate for the Space sector is 7% for the coming years."I
have absolutely no doubt that, in addition to having the potential to
be the fourth economic area, [space] actually has the potential to be
the fourth area for many years", he stressed, adding, however,
that "I am not underestimating fisheries, agriculture, nor
tourism. I am saying that these areas are more volatile, so Space can
guarantee sustainability with a growth rate that, according to this
study, is to be stable for the next few decades”.According to
Luís Santos, this economic pillar will develop through the creation
of value and products by companies established in the Region. In this
regard, he exemplified value creation as the raw data received from
Space and that need to be transformed."Data transformation
provides qualified employment, since it creates new data that allow
mapping the coasts of terrestrial territories, or monitoring fishing
areas, ships or planes routes, or that can be applied in the study of
climate change, or in the mapping of access to space using launchers,
or even in the placement of new 'assets' in space, avoiding collision
with space debris”, he exemplified.The coordinator of the
Azores Mission Structure for Space then presented the Azores Space
Strategy, a document that will guide the Region's medium and
long-term vision for this sector and others that may benefit from it,
directly or indirectly, positioning the Azores as a transatlantic
'hub' for space and aerospace-related activities.To this end, the
implementation of the Azores Space Strategy is based on three goals,
the first one being economic growth, which is to be materialized “by
stimulating the contribution of space and aerospace activities in the
Region, hence multiplying and establishing qualified jobs”.Capacity
building, through the acceleration and enhancement of research and
development skills in the Region, as well as the promotion of
knowledge and learning in science, engineering, technology and
applications related to space and aerospace sciences, is the second
goal.The last goal is to increase visibility for the Azores by
promoting “the Region's potential as a transatlantic platform for
activities related to Space and the aerospace sector, both public and
private”.In order to meet these goals, the strategy will cover
several branches of the academic, public and business sectors and
will promote a stable framework to attract private investments and
national and international partners, guaranteeing a regular and
reliable provision of operational services.The Azores Space
Strategy thus focuses on several priorities, including the
development of applications based on spatial data. Therefore, the
development of applications will be privileged, in turn leading to
the development of regional capacities, namely data collection,
interpretation, processing and modeling.Another priority is the
installation of test sites for space technologies and the integration
of 'in situ' networks. At this point, it is to be highlighted that
the Azores have volcanic sites, a temperate climate, rugged natural
geomorphology and easy access to the deep sea, which are important
characteristics for technology test sites requiring conditions
similar to those faced by the space exploration of outer planets and
asteroids.The promotion of the archipelago as a wide and safe
site to access space is another priority and, at this point, the
Azores Space Strategy highlights “the region's characteristics in
terms of location, reduced noise pollution and reduced air traffic”
as “strong arguments for installing additional space debris sensors
in the Azores”.Finally, the Azores Space Strategy also
establishes education and scientific dissemination about space as a
priority area, stressing that it is “fundamental not only to raise
awareness and stimulate the potential of local students, but also to
promote the connection and involvement of the community with space
activities”.The Azores Space Strategy is currently under the
public consultation phase, which is followed, after its approval in
December, by the implementation plan.