The AEROS MH-1 is a Portuguese

nanosatellite A small satellite, miniaturized satellite, or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass. Satellites c ...

that is currently orbiting Earth at an altitude of around 510 km. Launched on 4 March 2024 from the

Vandenberg Space Force Base Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, it is

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

's second ever satellite, after the

PoSAT-1 PoSAT-1 (OSAT-OSCAR 28, OSCAR 28, PO 28, 1993-061G), the first Portugal, Portuguese satellite, was launched into orbit on 26 September 1993, on the 59th flight of the Ariane 4, Ariane 4 launch vehicle. The launch took place in the Guiana Space C ...

. Its purpose is ocean mapping and observation, with particular interest in the Portuguese exclusive economic zone in the Atlantic Ocean.

Background and function

The AEROS MH-1 was launched to map and observe the oceans of planet

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

, with particular interest in the Atlantic Ocean, since the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone is located there. It was Portugal's second ever satellite, second only to 1993's

, and its meant to be the first step towards making Portugal “a space nation by the end of the 2020s”. Work on the satellite began in 2020 and it represents an investment of 2.78 million

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s, co-financed by 1.88 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund ( ERDF). Its name is a homage to

Manuel Heitor Manuel Frederico Tojal de Valsassina Heitor (born 1958) is a Portuguese politician who served as Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education in the government of Prime Minister António Costa until 30 March 2022 when he was succeeded b ...

, former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

Launch

The AEROS MH-1 was launched on 4 March 2024, 14:05 PTZ, from the

, aboard Space X's

Falcon 9 Falcon 9 is a Reusable launch system#Partial reusable launch systems, partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, an ...

, as part of the ''Transporter 10'' mission. It was first Portuguese satellite to be launched into

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

in over thirty years.

Aftermath

The satellite now orbits at an altitude of around 510 km, slightly above the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

. Communications and data collection are carried out from the island of Santa Maria in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

References

{{Orbital launches in 2024 Space program of Portugal Satellites orbiting Earth Portuguese inventions Spacecraft launched in 2024

Background and function

Launch

Aftermath

See also

References