Portuguese Space Catalogue 2011 - Site

Contents 

INDUSTRY 

ACADEMIA 

Active Space Technologies, 1 CCTAE – IST, 49 

Amorim Cork Composites, 3 CIGCE – Univ. Porto, 51 

Critical Software, 5 FCUL, 53 

Deimos Engenharia, 7 IGP, 55 

Edisoft, 9 INEGI, 57 

Efacec, 11 INOV, 59 

Evoleo, 13 Inst. Meteorologia, 61 

Fibersensing, 15 Inst. Telecomunicações, 63 

GMVIS Skysoft, 17 IPFN – IST, 65 

HPS, 19 ISR – IST, 67 

Indra Sistemas Portugal, 21 LIP, 69 

ISQ, 23 Uninova, 71 

KEMET, 25 

Logica, 27 TECHNOLOGY MAPPING, 75 

Lusospace, 29 

Novabase, 31 

Omnidea, 33 

Solscientia, 35 

Spin.Works, 37 

Tekever ASDS, 39 

Thales Portugal, 41 

Zeugma TSI, 43 

Proespaço, 45 

Disclaimer The information contained within this publication (including diagrams and pictures) was provided by each 

corresponding entity, retaining full authorship over its contents. No part of this document can be reproduced without the 

expressed permission of its authors.

Proespaço (Portuguese association of space 

industries); 

PeMAs (Portuguese SME for aerospace 

industry). 

Active Space Technologies 

http://www.activespacetech.com 

Fields of Expertise 

Ricardo Patricio 

ricardo.patricio@activespacetech.com 

+351 239 70 03 33 

Description 

Active Space Technologies offers added-value 

Engineering services in the fields of: 

Mechanical engineering (thermal, fluids, and 

structural analysis, design, precision CNC); 

Electronics engineering (automation & control, 

embedded systems, digital control). 

Active Space Technologies provides state of the 

art mechanical and electronics engineering 

expertise, offering turn-key sub-systems, 

supplying the whole value-chain from 

requirements definition, design services, and 

modelling up to manufacturing and AIT. 

Active Space Technologies takes on the most 

demanding projects, leveraging expertise 

acquired in the space sector and a range of 

engineering backgrounds of our staff, providing 

a multidisciplinary approach to your challenges. 

We aim to provide services and products across 

the whole supply chain through synergies and 

integrated competencies of a network of 

partnerships. Following this vision, we have 

been working for DLR, the European Space 

Agency, Galileo Avionica, OHB, Thales Alenia 

space, JET/UKAEA, ITER/EFDA, Zeiss Optics, 

among others, promoting a professional 

relationship with the customer by working in 

close cooperation. 

Active Space Technologies complies with ECSS 

and RCC-MR and is certified with ISO 9001 and 

AS9100. 

Further, Active Space Technologies is an active 

member of: 

1 FCT Space Office

Main Projects, Products and 

Services 

Services 

Active Space Technologies provides the 

following services: 

• Thermal and fluids Engineering 

• Structural Engineering 

• Mechanical & CAD Design 

• Prototyping & Manufacturing 

• Automation & Control 

• Digital Control 

• Embedded Systems 

• Materials R&D 

• Product Development 

• AerTPS®: Aerogel Insulation Systems 

• Vacuum Chambers (0.01 mbar) 

• Pandora: Controlled Environment Transport 

Container 

Products 

Active Space Technologies develops disruptive 

technologies fed by our innovation pipeline, 

offering you the following products: 

• ESU®: Cryogenics High Enthalpy Reservoir 

• 1.5K, 6K, 20K, 100K Thermal Switch 

Portuguese Space Catalog 2011 2


Amorim Cork Composites 

http://www.corkcomposites.amorim.com 

António Coelho 

acoelho.acc@amorim.com 

+351 227 47 53 00 

Description 

Amorim Cork Composites has been the leader 

company on innovative applications using cork, 

inside the Amorim Group, world leader on cork 

products. 

The main markets are in B2B, in sectors like; 

building; wood; automotive; transportation; 

shoe; upholstery; naval and special niche 

markets like aerospace; special containers; 

friction elements, etc. 

Amorim Cork Composites produce three kinds 

of semi‐finished products: granules, 

blocks/cylinders and sheets. The cork granules 

are separated according density and size, online 

controlled by SPC methods. The production 

of the blocks or cylinders can be by 

agglomeration or vulcanization, using different 

polymers, according the specified properties 

for the final use. These materials are applied in 

segments such as aerospace, aeronautics, 

composites and construction as a natural 

acoustic and thermal barrier. 

In some cases, we produce final products, 

ready to be used (gaskets, vibration pads, etc). 

All new applications and processes of cork are 

study and initiated inside the company by a 

research team and dedicated laboratory. 

The company strategy is to enlarge the 

applications field of Cork, using state‐of‐art 

technologies, to supply high value applications. 

Due to that, Amorim has invested heavily on 

development areas, strengthening the R&D 

department and co‐funding research and 

development projects in several areas. 

It has a consistent background in applications 

like: 

Vibration control 

Thermal control in static conditions 

Thermal control in dynamic conditions 

Cryogenic insulation 

High temperature control 

Sealing and gaskets 

Friction control 


Services 

Main products for space applications are: 

TPS ‐ Thermal Protection Systems – product 

range for heat shields and thermal control; 

CoreCork – product range of cores for FRP 

structures; 

ACM – ACoustic Material solutions – product 

range for damping control. 

TechSeal – Cork base sealing techniques, for a 

wide range of applications. 

Cork granules with extreme control for spraying 

uses in thermal control. 

Main Aerospace projects are: 

ATPI – Thermo‐Phonic insulation material for 

Aeronautical use – funded by the 6ºFP, on the 

SCRATCH initiative; 

Cork Characterization for non‐ablative space 

applications‐ funded by ESA‐ European Space 

Agency; 


AEROFAST – Aerocapture for future space 

transportation – managed by EADS. 

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 


and monitored by the European Space Agency). 

Critical Software is also an active member of 

the European Cooperation for Space 

Standardization (ECSS) working group. 

Critical Software 

http://criticalsoftware.com 

Rui Cordeiro, ASD Unit Business Director 

rcordeiro@criticalsoftware.com 

+351 239 98 91 00 

Description 

Since 1998 Critical Software has been 

committed to provide dependable and 

innovative technologies and engineering 

solutions for mission and business critical 

information systems across several industries. 

With offices in Coimbra, Lisbon and Oporto 

(Portugal), and San Jose (USA), Southampton 

(UK), São Paulo (Brazil) and Maputo 

(Mozambique) our growth has been continuous 

and sustained. 

Working in the Space market since 1999, 

Critical has established itself as a reliable, 

proactive and close partner for customers, such 

as ESA, NASA, JAXA, EADS Astrium, Thales 

Alenia Space, DNV, ScySis and Vega among 

many others. 

Quality has been strategic at Critical Software 

since its very beginning and is, to this day, one 

of the company’s stronger competitive 

advantages. Critical Software operates an 

ISO9001:2008 Tick‐IT and was the first 

Portuguese company accredited with the CMMI 

SW/SE Level 5 Quality Management System 

(QMS). Critical also applies the ISO/IEC 15504 

standard in the area of software process 

assessment (whose deployment was supported 


Critical Software’s activities range from system 

or solution development using best available 

technologies and modelling methodologies 

to specialized services such as independent 

product assurance (quality & product 

assurance, ISVV, RAMS) . 

Our activities span from the space segment to 

downstream services, including Embedded & 

Real‐time, Command & Control, Verification, 

Validation & RAMS, Independent Software, 

Verification & Validation, Mission Control 

Systems, Payload Data Processing & 

Dissemination, On‐board Software 

Development, Data Handling Systems, Ground 

Segment, and Earth Observation. 


Services 

Space Verification and Validation 

Critical Software provided verification and 

validation services according to rigorous 

standards and mission requirements to several 

missions such as LisaPathfinder, 

CryoSat,CryoSat‐2, GOCE, Sentinel‐1, and 

AlphaBUS. Activities such as verification and 

validation, static and dynamic analysis, test 

design, implementation and execution, and 

development of specialized testing tools to 

improve productivity were performed. 

Client: EADS Astrium, ThalesAlenia Space, ESA, 

DNV 


Sentinel 2 and 3 on Board Central 

Development 

Critical Software developed high integrity and 

real time central components of Sentinel 2 and 

3 on‐board software and provided independent 

verification & validation teams. 

Client: EADS Astrium, Thales Alenia Space 

requirements for future complex space 

missions. It provides both a high‐level interface 

for Linux applications and a hard‐real time, 

qualified service for high‐priority tasks. This is 

achieved using a stripped down Linux kernel 

running in user mode, on top of a Real Time 

Operating System, in this case RTEMS. csXLUNA 

is currently built to support the SPARC LEON2 

processor and it uses Snapgear Embedded 

Linux for the Linux subsystem. 

csXCEPTION – Automated Stress and 

Robustness Testing Tool 

Swarm – Operational Simulator 

Critical Software designed and implemented 

payload and platform modules to accurately 

simulate SWARM behaviour, using a Model 

Driven Development approach based on EGOS‐ 

MF. 

Client: ESA, VEGA 

csXLUNA – Extending Free/Open-Source 

Real-Time for On-Board Space 

Applications 

Using the csXCEPTION fault injection 

technology, systems based either on 

proprietary design or COTS parts can be 

evaluated under realistic conditions with 

minimal intrusiveness and reliable validation of 

fault tolerance mechanisms. csXCEPTION 

provides the ability to test systems in 

exceptional situations, that may however occur 

in the field, validate RAMS (Reliability, 

Availability, Maintainability, Safety) and FDIR 

(Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery) 

mechanisms in place, experiment worst failure 

scenarios, and spot weak points in the system, 

proving feedback for correction or redesign. 

Application fields: Avionics system validation; 

FDIR and RAMS validation; Robustness testing. 

The rationale behind csXLUNA is to supply the 

European Space industry with a reliable 

RTEMS/Linux based kernel that can be used for 

both payload and avionics applications. It 

includes features such as standard 

programming interfaces (e.g. POSIX), coexistence 

of real and non real time tasks, and 

context isolation. csXLUNA was developed to 

attend to emerging computational 



DEIMOS Engenharia 

http://www.deimos.pt 

Elsa Alexandrino 

elsa.alexandrino@deimos.com.pt 

+351 218 93 30 10 

Description 

DEIMOS Engenharia is a Portuguese Aerospace 

Engineering company, delivering advanced 

design solutions and turnkey space software 

systems since 2002. Building on a solid team of 

highly motivated and specialized engineers, 

DEIMOS Engenharia is now a reference player 

in the European space sector. 

The cornerstone of the success of DEIMOS 

solutions lies on a multidisciplinary team 

supported by a consolidated network of leading 

European university research groups, R&D labs 

and outstanding companies. The portfolio of 

customers and partners includes the European 

Space Agency, Eumetsat, Thales Alenia Space 

and EADS Astrium. Currently the company 

employs around 40 engineers mainly in the 

areas of Aerospace Engineering, Physics, 

Mathematics and Software. 30% of the staff 

holds a Master or PhD in similar areas. 

DEIMOS Engenharia is a founder and currently 

leads Proespaço ‐ the Portuguese Space 

Industry Association. The company is ISO 

9001:2000 certified. DEIMOS Engenharia is one 

of the companies comprising DEIMOS Group, 

the technology arm of ELECNOR 

(www.elecnor.com). 

DEIMOS bases its expertise in Mission Analysis, 

Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) 

systems, Global Navigation Satellite systems 

(GNSS) Technologies, Ground Segment and 

Earth Observation systems and applications. 

The core business ranges from engineering 

design activities (such as algorithms definition, 

mathematical modelling, simulation and 

systems prototyping), to operational software 

systems development and validation. Deimos 

Engenharia also provides on‐site support and 

operational services on Earth Observation and 

Satellite Operations. 


Services 

Guidance, Navigation and Control 

Systems 

Development of autonomous navigation 

algorithms and systems, including rendezvous 

and hazard avoidance functions using 

innovative techniques and approaches, for 

application in interplanetary missions and other 

unmanned vehicles. 

One of the key projects of DEIMOS Engenharia 

in this area is the Hazard Avoidance and 

Detection function for the soft precision 

landing of ESA’s next mission to the moon, the 

Lunar Lander. 


Global Navigation Satellite Systems 

Development of new technologies for 

navigation receivers, applications and product 

prototypes, simulation and integrity of GNSS 

systems and concept studies for the evolution 

of the Galileo System. 

Earth Observation Systems and 

Applications 

End‐to‐end observation systems and 

development of Earth Observation services and 

applications. 

DEIMOS Engenharia is leading ENCORE, the 

next‐generation high‐precision and low‐cost 

GALILEO receiver for land management 

applications. 

Ground Segment Systems 

Systems engineering and software for critical 

applications and data processing systems for 

novel mission concepts. 

The DEIMOS‐1 satellite is the first Earth 

Observation satellite of the DEIMOS group, 

launched in 2009. The satellite has a 

multispectral camera operating in three bands ‐ 

near‐IR, red and green ‐ with a resolution of 22 

meters and a 630 km swath. DEIMOS‐1 images 

are used for the development of services and 

applications in the area of Environment and 

Natural Resources Monitoring, and also for 

rapid mapping and damage assessment to 

support emergency response situations. The 

satellite is best in class when high revisit times 

and wide swath are required. 

The GMES Sentinel‐1 Commissioning Phase 

Calibration and Performance Analysis Facility is 

a framework in development by DEIMOS 

Engenharia including all the necessary 

algorithms and components to carry out the 

calibration, validation and performance analysis 

tasks during the Sentinel‐1 commissioning 

phase, in order to verify the performance 

requirements in‐orbit. 


systems’ integration. Throughout the years, 

EDISOFT has accumulated skills and expertise 

in: 

EDISOFT – Empresa de Serviços e Desenvolvimento 

de Software, S.A. 

http://www.edisoft.pt 

Cardoso, Teresa (Eng.) 

teresa.cardoso@edisoft.pt 

+351 212 94 59 00 

Description 

Established in 1988, EDISOFT is the national 

leader in the domains of command and control 

systems, of information integration systems, of 

military logistic systems and space systems. 

As a specialised company offering 

technologically advanced software solutions 

and highly qualified IT consulting services, 

EDISOFT holds a profound knowledge in the 

development of integrated space solutions, in 

the fields of Embedded Real Time Systems, 

Satellite Navigation, Remote Sensing and 

Ground Station Systems. 

Today, EDISOFT’s operational systems are a 

Portuguese presence throughout the world, 

highlighting the Company’s commitment to the 

internationalisation effort and to innovation 

and entrepreneurship. 


From the beginning of its activity, EDISOFT has 

reached a wide recognition in software 

development, maintenance and upgrading in 

areas as sensitive as real‐time information 

Space Systems, emergency networks and 

• Embedded Real Time Systems; 

• Satellite Navigation Systems; 

• Remote Sensing; 

• Ground Segment Systems; 

• Command and Control Systems; 

• Systems Integration and Acceptance; 

• Integrated Information Systems; 

• Spatial Data Infrastructure; 

• Strategic Collective Security Systems. 


Services 

Since 1994, EDISOFT has earned a solid 

reputation in the Space industry, providing 

expertise in the development of engineering 

solutions for Satellite Navigation, Remote 

Sensing, Embedded Systems and Ground 

Segment. 

Satellite Navigation 

EDISOFT is involved, since the beginning, in the 

development of the European GNSS strategy. 

EDISOFT participated in the early EC GALA 

study and was the first Portuguese company 

joining the EGNOS project and, afterwards, the 

GALILEO program, from the Galileo Phase B2 up 

to today’s activities. EDISOFT developed its 

GNSS activities both in connection with GNSS 

infrastructure and with GNSS applications. 

Based upon the above‐mentioned experience, 

EDISOFT has developed specific skills and 

products, including Monitoring & Control 

(M&C) and Reliability, Availability, 

Maintainability and Safety (RAMS). 


Remote Sensing 

EDISOFT selected Earth Observation to be one 

of its niche areas of excellence. Currently, 

EDISOFT holds responsibilities in the existing 

two Earth Observation Infrastructures in 

Portugal: 

• EUMETSAT/IM LSASAF, Land Surface Analysis 

Satellite Application Facility – in which EDISOFT 

holds the project’s engineering responsibility; 

• EDISOFT’s Earth Observation Santa Maria 

Station – in which EDISOFT holds full 

responsibility. 

The Santa Maria Station accompanies daily (day 

and night) the trajectories of several remote 

observation satellites, collecting data for ship 

detection, oil spills’ monitoring and other 

operational services. 

The services of maritime monitoring and 

surveillance provided by the EO Santa Maria 

Station already support the CleanSeaNet 

project, managed by the European Maritime 

Safety Agency (EMSA) and the MARISS 

(Maritime Security Service) project, this latter 

part of the GMES program. 

Participating in projects framed within the 

GMES program, EDISOFT assumes the 

responsibility of positioning Portugal with a 

global market offer of satellite data concerning 

the Earth’s biosphere. 

Embedded Systems 

For ESA, EDISOFT has developed the RTEMS 

Support and Maintenance Centre 

(http://rtemscentre.edisoft.pt). EDISOFT’s 

RTEMS portfolio is comprised of: 

• EDISOFT RTEMS Tailored Version – Source 

Code and the full documentation of RTEMS 

Tailored; 

• EDISOFT RTEMS Test Suite; 

• RTEMS Technical Support – Helpdesk, Remote 

and Local Consulting, Development (Delta 

qualification, evolutive RTEMS qualification, 

Middleware qualification); 

• EDISOFT RTEMS Tools – the Timeline Tool, 

RTEMS Installation and Configuration Tool, 

RTEMS Application Configuration Tool. 

EDISOFT’s RTEMS Tailored Version is 

considered to be very close to achieving the 

Technology Readiness Level of a Building Block 

(TRL Level 6 – Product Release) for the satellite 

on‐board software. 

Ground Segment 

The Santa Maria ground station is a dual 

mission station, ESA Tracking Station and 

EDISOFT Earth Observation Station. 

Santa Maria’s Launchers Tracking station is the 

first station of the European Space Agency 

(ESA) in Portuguese Territory and the first of 

ESA for tracking launchers. The management 

and operation of the Santa Maria Station is 

EDISOFT’s responsibility, leading a consortium 

with the regional companies GlobalEda and 

Segma. 

In the last year, EDISOFT invested in expanding 

the Station’s capacity, to receive EO SAR images 

from Envisat and Radarsat‐1, thus enabling the 

Station to combine two missions: launchers’ 

tracking and Earth Observation, a new 

capability that allows EDISOFT to complement 

its offer in the area of Remote Sensing with 

applicability in different areas, including Ocean 

Monitoring. 


These activities are based on a Systems 

Integrating Contractor philosophy that covers 

the present needs of the market and turns the 

different Group capabilities profitable. 

EFACEC Engenharia e Sistemas, S.A. 

http://www.efacec.com/ 

Pedro Silva 

pedro.silva@efacec.com 

+351 229 40 20 00 

Description 

With a history of more than 100 years, the 

EFACEC Group had its origin in "A Moderna", a 

company established in 1905. 

The name EFACEC appeared only in 1962 and is 

now the largest Portuguese Group in the 

electricity field; EFACEC employs above 4000 

people all over the world and has a turnover of 

above 1000 million Euros; it is established in 

more than 50 countries and exports almost 

75% of its production. 


The portfolio of EFACEC business activities is: 

Energy Solutions 

Transformers 

High and Medium Voltage Switchgear 

Service 

Engineering solutions and Services 

Engineering 

Automation 

Maintenance 

Environment 

Renewable 

Transport and Logistics 

Transport 

Logistics 

EFACEC's strategy, focusing on International 

market, as well as important investments made 

in Innovation and New Technologies 

Development, backed by the resources of 

EFACEC traditional technology led the Group to 

a position at the forefront of the Portuguese 

Industry and overseas markets. 

The activity of EFACEC in the SPACE field is 

included in the Transports and Logistics 

business activities and was elected by EFACEC 

due to the expertise that brings to the 

organization, the demanding technical 

requirements and the image of competence 

that brings to the company. This activity focus 

on INSTRUMENTS FOR SPACE, meaning the 

following expertise: 

Electronics design: 

o Project upon specification or idea 

o Digital and analogue simulation 

o Bread boarding with industrial and 

military components 

o Test using up‐to‐date laboratory 

o Qualification to ECSS standards 

o Printed Circuit Boards design 

Structural design: 


o Mechanical Drawings 

o FEM simulation and analysis 

o Prototyping 

o Qualification 

Thermal design: 


o TMM simulation and analysis 

o Qualification 

Radiation design: 

o Sectorial analysis TID and TNID 

System Design and Integration: 


o System design 

o Manufacturing using class 100000 

clean‐room 

o Electrical, functional and EMC 

qualification 

Specialized procurement for: 

o Bread‐boarding, engineering models 

and flight models 

o Mechanical parts 

o EEE 

Ground Support Equipment: 

o Electronics test equipment 

o Mechanical support for transport 

and handling 


Services 

In line with the Space approach selected, the 

projects developed so far are summarized in: 

CTTB 

Is a computerized equipment able to host up to 

three experiment boards sized 200mm x 

110mm and an external payload feeding and 

monitoring their voltages and currents and 

communicate with them using the I 2 C protocol 

CTTB is powered by the spacecraft 100V bus 

and communicates with the spacecraft On 

Board Computer through the MIL‐STD‐1553 

communications bus. 

MFS and BERM 

EuTEMP 

Is a temperature recording unit installed in the 

International Space Station. On the external 

platform of COLUMBUS, EuTEMP 

autonomously recorded successfully the 

temperature of the various EuTEF experiments 

downloading its data through the MIL‐STD‐ 

1553 communications bus. 

Are radiation monitors. They are designed to 

detect, measure the energy and count 

energetic particles. Electrons from 300keV to 

7MeV, Protons from 1MeV to 200MeV and 

other heavier ions up to 400MeV per nucleon 

are in the range of these instruments detection. 

MFS is installed together with CTTB on the 

Alphasat TDP8 and BERM makes part of the 

BepiColombo mission to the planet Mercury. 

They will allow the scientist to understand 

better the space environment. 



Evoleo Technologies, Lda 

http://www.evoleotech.com 

Rodolfo Martins 

rodolfo.martins@evoleotech.com 

+351 229 42 43 27 

Description 

EVOLEO was created on January 16 th , 2007, 

investing in skills related to the design of 

critical and highly complex electronic systems. 

EVOLEO embraces four areas of activity: Space, 

Transportation, Energy and Health. 

EVOLEO is based on evolution, innovation and 

constant customer oriented learning. We seek 

to know what the customers wants, suggest 

improvements and be very flexible for higher 

effectiveness and efficiency. 

EVOLEO holds a skilled multidisciplinary 

engineering team seeking and promoting 

partnerships and networking between centers 

of knowledge and industry players. We 

strongly cooperate, among others, with 

EFACEC, ESA, R&D groups from Porto and 

Aveiro, either University or Polytechnic. 

EVOLEO Technologies mission is to provide 

high‐end and differentiated electronic 

engineering solutions, seeking continuous 

improvement, flexibility, quality and customer 

oriented innovation. We aim international 

recognition as a technological company for 

leveraging partnerships, added value 

enhancement and sustainable growth. 

 

 

 

 

 

On‐Board Data Systems 

Payload Data Processing, On Board Data 

Management, Microelectronics for digital 

and analogue applications 

Space System Software 

Space Segment Software, Ground Segment 

Software, Ground Data Processing 

Spacecraft Electrical Power 

Power conditioning and distribution 

System Design & verification 

Collaborative and Concurrent Engineering, 

System Analysis and Design, Verification & 

AIT 

Quality, Dependability and Safety 

System Dependability and Safety 


Services 

EVOLEO provides engineering services covering 

a wide range of needs in the electronics design, 

embedded and systems engineering. 

Services 

Design and Implementation of Analogue 

HW 

Project, CAD, WCA, PSA, FMEA/FMECA. 

Design and Implementation of Digital HW 

Project, CAD, FPGA, µC/µP 8‐32 bit (simple 

and multi‐core over FPGA), VHDL and C. 

SW Implementation for Embedded 

Systems 

Real time operating systems, NI LabView 

platform, Windows or Linux environment. 

Instrumentation, Automation and Control 

PLCs, National Instruments technology 

Systems Engineering 

Support to systems integration & validation 


Quality and Development Process 

Support to ESA‐ECSS standards 

Projects 

Project ALPHASAT TDP8 for ESA 

TDP8 is composed of 2 units – CTTB and MFS, 

aiming to evaluate electronic components in 

harsh space conditions and to record the 

radiation levels observed. In collaboration with 

Efacec, the TDP8 payload required the design 

and integration of flight HW, SW and Testing. 

EVOLEO contributed deeply to the design of 

the On‐board Software, EGSE system, system 

engineering and several flight boards (DIF, 

MTB, PDU and Backplane), as well as support 

to other partners on their own experiments. 

TDP8 On‐Board Software 

The SW developed over RTEMS manages the 

Spacecraft communications via 1553B, TDP8 

subsystems control, Housekeeping and Science 

data collection, Internal Power distribution 

control, internal time synchronism and FDIR. It 

also controls the experiments scheduling. 

TDP8 Electrical Ground Support Equip. (EGSE) 

The EGSE is used throughout all phases of 

project development, from individual test cards 

up to integration on the satellite. Based on a 

National Instruments platform, it allowed major 

savings in cost and time. Main features include 

monitoring and simulation of communications 

(1553, 422), GUI and automated procedures. 

TDP8 Data Interface Board (DIF – Control Unit) 

The customizable DIF board with Aeroflex 

Gaisler LEON3FT processor supporting several 

RTOS, low power, onboard memory and 

several digital and analogue I/O capabilities is 

ideally suited for space and other High‐Rel 

applications, such as instrument, payload and 

spacecraft control applications. 

TDP8 Power Distribution Unit Board (PDU) 

PDU distributes the secondary power to the 

TDP8 units. Holding ON/OFF capability of each 

peripherals, LCL (Latching Current Limiter) 

circuits, and Loads current monitoring. PDU is a 

very flexible unit for other payloads’ power 

conditioning, protection and distribution. 

TDP8 Memory Test Board (MTB) 

MTB is an experiment board testing memories. 

It contains banks of SEL and SEU monitors and 

Flash demonstrators. Besides the scientific 

component, it provides current limiter and SEL 

events protection per DUT, bus contention 

prevention and VHDL code interfacing the Onboard 

SW. MTB can be adapted to other 

payloads with different memory units. 

Project AEEF CTTB In‐Flight Data Analysis 

This SW project allows In‐flight data collected 

from experiments within TDP8, to be used on 

ground test protocols validation and 

performance prediction models for new 

components. It also provides in‐flight 

evaluation of components for future missions. 


FiberSensing – Sistemas Avançados de 

Monitorização, S.A. 

http://www.fibersensing.com 

Silvia Abad 

silvia.abad@fibersensing.com 

+351 229 61 30 10 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hot nitrogen and hot acid stripping 

acrylate and polyimide recoating 

fiber optic connectorization 

climatic chamber 

mechanical testing machine with thermal 

chamber 

vibration test systems 

controlled environment rooms for optical 

sensor manufacturing and test 

dedicated rooms for optelectronic and 

electronic boards manufacturing and test 

Description 

FiberSensing – Sistemas Avançados de 

Monitorização, S.A., is a spin‐off company from 

INESC Porto devoted to the development of 

optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensor 

systems for advanced monitoring applications. 

It develops, commercializes and supports 

products (sensors, measurement units and 

software packages) and services (complete 

solutions) for instrumentation, being the main 

markets the ones of structural health 

monitoring in civil and geotechnical 

engineering, and energy production and 

distribution. The company, supported by 

competences going from fiber optic technology 

to optoelectronics, digital electronics and 

instrumentation, offers technologically 

advanced solutions while ensuring innovation, 

quality and reliability in a user friendly way. 


FiberSensing is equipped with state‐of‐the‐art 

tools in what concerns fiber optic, 

optoelectronics and electronics technologies: 

FBG automated manufacturing workstation 

fiber optic hydrogen loading high‐pressure 

chamber 

FiberSensing engineering team is able to advise 

and draw up project analyses in close 

cooperation with costumers. The goal is to 

assess the monitoring needs of a structure and 

subsequent interaction with the project 

designer, construction company and 

infrastructure owner. Company’s engineers 

develop then an appropriate tailor‐made 

integrated system based on off‐the‐shelf 

FiberSensing products. 


Services 

FiberSensing manufactures complete 

monitoring systems for industrial applications. 

Temperature Mapping in HV Power 

Transformers 

Real‐time temperature mapping system for 

power transformers. The system enables hotspot 

monitoring up‐to 400kV, providing a tool 

for conformity assessment. The system also 

enables overloading real‐time control. 


Main Aerospace Projects 

FiberSensing is involved in different 

development projects in Aerospace both with 

ESA, European Union and Customers. 

Temperature Mapping in Overhead Power 

Lines 

Real‐time temperature mapping of conductors 

for optimization of energy distribution 

networks. The system enables sag control in 

high‐voltage overhead power lines. The 

complete solution supports tenths of 

measuring points over long distances. 

Temperature and Vibration Mapping in 

High Power Generators 

Real‐time temperature and vibration mapping 

systems for high power generators. The system 

enables condition monitoring of large scale 

generators. The system also enables vibration 

and thermal analysis and alarm generation. 

ESA Photonics Technologies (NGL/FS‐ACS‐ 

CON‐0011) – Avionics 

ESA ITT 4940 – Fiber Optic Sensing 

Subsystem for Spacecraft Health 

Monitoring in Telecommunication Satelites 

InFlightFOS (FP7 CleanSky ‐255768) – 

Improved Reliability and Integration of FBG 

Systems for In‐flight Applications 

RemFOS (FP7 CleanSky ‐255820) – Design, 

Manufacturing and Reliability Evaluation of 

Embedded Sensors 

SpaceFBG (FP7 CleanSky ‐ 255789) – Design 

& Validation of FOBG for SHM Application 

Development of a temperature monitoring 

system for thermal vacuum testing (Thales 

Alenia Space, France) 

System for stress monitoring in composite 

fuel tanks (Airbus, France) 


players in the Space market, in particular the 

large satellite integrators. 


GMVIS SKYSOFT, S.A. 

http:// www.gmv.com.pt 

José Freitas 

jose.freitas@gmv.com 

+351 213 82 93 66 

Description 

GMV‐SKYSOFT was established as a private 

Portuguese company in 1998 focusing on 

advanced technological solutions for the 

aeronautics and ICT markets and then shortly 

initiating its first space related activities, even 

before the accession of Portugal to the 

European Space Agency. The company’s space 

activities have grown since that date, to the 

point where GMV is the Portuguese entity with 

highest business volume with ESA, and having 

secured key contracts in European institutions 

including EUMETSAT, EMSA, EDA, Eurocontrol 

and the European Commission. 

In 2005, the well known GMV Group acquired a 

majority stake in GMV‐SKYSOFT from its 

previous shareholders and today GMV‐SKYSOFT 

is a fully owned subsidiary of the GMV Group. 

As of 2011, GMV‐SKYSOFT has staff count of 

near 90 persons with a solid technological 

background, out of around 1000 in the whole 

GMV Group. GMV‐SKYSOFT’s strategy in the 

space market is to identify and secure niche 

market satellite technology positions that are 

sustainable on a long term perspective. We 

look to provide lasting relationships with our 

customers, which now not only include 

European institutions but some of the main 

Along with acquired technical knowledge from 

numerous space contracts, GMV‐SKYSOFT is a 

seasoned prime bidder for specific technology 

developments having shown the ability to lead 

consortia on challenging and technically 

complex programmes, as well as support 

satellite integrators on a long‐term basis. 

Technology Competences 

The key technical know‐how of GMV‐SKYSOFT 

may be summarized as below: 

Ground segment engineering and 

development for GNSS, Scientific and EO 

missions (including PDGS). 

EGSE and Satellite Reference Databases. 

GNSS system level studies, simulations and 

test tools, and software receivers. 

Onboard software, including automated 

tools and advanced methodologies. 

Application and services using Space 

Technology: EO, GNSS and Telecoms. 

Satellite communications systems – user 

segment, satellite networking, DVB‐RCS. 

Services and Support 

Some key highlights include being a key ground 

segment software supplier for the Galileo IOV 

programme, supporting Thales Alenia Space on 

the Herschel /Planck and Sentinel 3 missions, 

and being selected by ESA and Astrium as a 


supplier for the GAIA EGSE and to support the 

Sentinel 2 Instrument AIT campaign. 


Services 

Ground Segment 

Galileo IOV ‐ OSPF/IPF RTMC SW, OSPF/IPF 

AIVP Platform, MDDN‐MNE Networking 

Software, Flight Dynamics Tools. 

Supply of the IASI‐level 2 Instrument 

Processing Facility of the EUMETSAT EPS. 

ENVISAT Operational Tools: MERISAT. 

ESRIN FC: AVHRR and SeaWiFS Acquisition 

and Processing System Upgrade. 

EGNOS ‐ DAL C COTS components for G/S. 

ESOC GFC8/EFC1 Eng. Frame Contracts. 

Space Systems and Engineering for 

Scientific / Exploration Missions 

GAIA Central Checkout System (EGSE). 

Sentinel 2: EGSE CCS and AIT support. 

Herschel/Planck, Sentinel 3 and TRP 

contracts for Satellite Reference Databases. 

AURORA ‐ Avionics Reference Architecture. 

NLP Solver for Space Trajectory Opt. 

ESTEC & ESAC Scientific Frame Contracts. 

Earth Observation Applications and 

Services 

Reference player in GMES Initiative and 

contributor to GEO: FP7: MYWATER, 

SAFER, G‐MOSAIC, NEREIDS.GSE: MARISS, 

MARCOAST, PROMOTE. 

Integration of EO services into operational 

systems 

EUMETSAT LandSAF SW engineering. 

Global Navigation Satellite Systems 

GNSS receivers, platforms and toolbox: 

EAGUR, NUSAR, GSRLab & DNURS. 

Tech studies: ADVENT, MASSTRA. 

DINGPOS: Indoor GNSS Positioning. 

EGEP Program studies, including Atomic 

Clocks and tests beds. 

GNSS Applications: ARMAS, GUTD, AGILE, 

MARUSE, ADVANTIS, Helicity, Angelica, 

GINA, SWIRLS. 

Satellite Communications 

SaNTA – TCP accelerator for satellite D/L. 

IRIS/SDLS/AVISAT & ANTARES – ESA 

Aeronautical satcom system for SESAR. 

PRODAT – upgrade of the ground segment 

of the ESA satellite messaging system. 

Development of DVB‐RCS satellite test bed. 

DECISION – Deployment of satcom services 

for civil protection international agencies. 

SINUE: Satellite communications for UAVs. 

OBSW, SW Tools and Methodologies 

Integrated ‐ Space ‐ Modular Avionics. 

AIR ‐ (TSP/IMA) Operating Environment. 

AMOBA ‐ ARINC 653 host simulator. 

MOBARE‐Validation of Dependability/Safety 

Critical SW with Model‐Based Reqs. 

Auto Test Generation for Flight/Ground SW. 

DIANA / SCARLETT – Advanced Avionics. 


HPS‐ High Performance Structures Lda 

http://www.hps‐lda.pt 

Pedro Portela 

info@hps‐lda.pt 

+351 229 57 87 18 

Description 

HPS‐Portugal was established in 2007 as a joint 

venture between the German SME HPS‐GmbH 

and the Portuguese R&D institute INEGI in 

Porto. HPS Lda is located in Porto, in the 

campus of the School of Engineering with 

access to a 10 000 class cleanroom, large 

assembly hall and complete thermo‐mechanical 

test facilities including thermal vacuum. 

Since its foundation in 2007, HPS Lda has been 

active in the areas of thermal protection 

systems, hot structures and lightweight 

structures through either ESA TRP studies or 

industrial projects with its European partners. 


HPS Lda has specialized not only in the 

provision of engineering services such as 

project management, design and analysis, 

assembly and integration and testing but also 

producing flight hardware such as multi‐layer 

insulations (MLI), mechanical ground support 

equipment (MGSE) and feeds for 

telecommunication satellites. 

HPS Lda has established an MLI manufacturing 

facility that can manufacture blankets up to 4 

meters long but also small blankets for 

scientific experiments and payloads. 


Services 

HPS Lda core products and services may be 

categorized in three different vectors. 

Technology Development and Project 

Management 

HPS Lda acts as prime contractor for ESA 

technology development projects managing 

usually a multidisciplinary team of 4‐5 

subcontractors in the areas of hot structures 

and composite structures and materials. 

Currently, HPS Lda is managing two TRP studies 

with more than 10 subcontractors in a total 

projects value of 900 000€. 


Design and Manufacturing of Thermal 

Blankets, MGSE and Feeds 

HPS Lda design and manufactures thermal 

blankets (MLI) for satellites and its payloads. In 

a 10 000 class cleanroom HPS can deliver 

blankets up to 4 meters long made of usual MLI 

materials such as Mylar and Kapton. 

HPS Lda has supplied Efacec with the thermal 

blankets that protect the TDP8 experiment to 

fly on Alphasat in 2012 and will also supply the 

Max‐Planck Institute in Germany with blankets 

for the eROSITA x‐Ray telescope. 

Specialized Thermo-Mechanical Testing 

HPS Lda provides also the preparation and 

execution of specialized thermo‐mechanical 

tests on space products. These tests are usually 

non standard and require the design and 

preparation of custom test plans, test setups 

and test procedures. 

HPS Lda has access to mechanical test facilities 

(test machines and technicians), thermal test 

facilities (several thermal chambers and one 

thermal vacuum chamber) and acoustic test 

facilities. 

HPS Lda also designs and manufactures MGSE 

such as transport containers and lifting devices. 

The one shown below was used to transport a 

complete satellite telecommunication antenna 

system. 


Indra Sistemas Portugal, S.A 

http://www.indracompany.com 

Helder Alves 

halves@indracompany.com 

+351 214 72 46 00 

Description 

Indra is a leading IT multinational in Europe and 

Latin America. It is ranked as the second 

European company in its sector according to 

stock market capitalisation, and as one of the 

companies with 500M€ investment in R&D over 

the last 3 years. In 2010, revenues reached € 

2,513 M, of which € 33 M came from Indra 

Portugal. The company employs more than 

30,000 professionals, 390 of them in Indra 

Portugal. 

processes. This offer is structured into two 

primary segments: Solutions and Services. 

In general, Indra solutions serve the core of the 

business operation of our clients, and require 

as an essential capability the integration of 

systems, i.e. the design, configuration, 

development, and implementation of complete 

components, applications, and IT systems, 

featuring our own and third‐party products. 


Indra fields of expertise on the Space Market 

are: 

Satellite Communications 

Satellite control 

o Satellite control centres 

o Applications for satellite control 

Navigation and positioning 

o Reference stations and monitoring 

and archiving centres. 

o Navigation systems engineering. 

o Positioning applications 

Integrated logistic support 

Indra is organised around six vertical markets: 

Security, Defence and Space; Transport and 

Traffic; Energy and Industry; Telecom and 

Media; Finance and Insurance and Public 

Administration and Healthcare. Over the years 

we have gained comprehensive insight into 

each business and crafted solid relationships 

with customers. This knowledge, coupled with 

latest‐generation technology, allows Indra to 

create unique in‐house solutions and services 

for each market segment. 

Indra provides its clients with an offer that is 

both complete and of value which ranges from 

systems and applications integration and 

project development to consultancy and 

outsourcing of IT systems and business 



Services 

Indra Portugal is mostly working in Satellite 

Control and Navigation systems of which the 

two following projects are examples: 

ULS Shelter 

Production of a 20 feet ISO compliant 

Composite Telecommunications Shelter 

capable of being deployed in turn‐key 

conditions in any part of the world either be 

the North‐Pole or the Sahara desert in the 

same baseline configuration. 

ULS C-Band Antenna 

Production of the complete, Indra designed, 

3,5m C‐Band Antenna, that will ensure the 

constant up‐link of the Mission data to the onorbit 

Galileo Satellites. 

The antennas will be deployed in the most 

critical and equipment harsh environments 

(north‐pole and equatorial countries) and will 

have a lifetime of 20 years. 


Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade 

http://www.isq.pt 

Paulo Chaves 

pachaves@isq.pt 

+351 214 22 94 38 

such as Thales Alenia Space, Snecma Propulsion 

Solide, ESA/ESTEC and OGMA, among others. 

As members of the GIE ESQS, ISQ is providing at 

the European Space Center – French Guyana, in 

a permanent basis since 2003, technical 

inspections for CNES and Arianespace, to 

Ariane and now, as well, Soyuz. 

Some other high qualified international 

reference clients are CERN, ITER and the 

European Southern Observatory. 


Description 

ISQ – Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade is a 

private entity, established in 1965, with a group 

turnover, in 2010, of 92M€ (40% overseas) a 

staff of 1300, with a permanent presence in 9 

countries. Some of ISQ areas of expertise are 

Laboratories, Materials and Mechanical 

behaviour, Electrical Engineering, Quality 

Certification and Technical Inspections, and 

Research and Development. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materials & Coatings Behavior 

Thermodynamics & Reliability 

Maintenance & Inspections 

Non‐Destructive Testing & SHM 

Instrumentation & Electronics 

Metrology 

Sustainable Development 

Health & Safety 

Research & Development 

Training 

ISQ has invested, in the last ten years, more 

than 55 M€ in R&D projects, national and in the 

different EC Frameworks, including aerospace 

in partnership with different organisations such 

as EADS, Rolls‐Royce, MTU, NASA, Agusta 

Westland and Airbus, among others. 

The high level of testing capacity of ISQ group 

of certified labs, offer a large range of technical 

expertise in space and aeronautics, to clients 


Performance of tests for the Characterisation 

and thermo‐mechanical robustness 

justification of an improved CMC nozzle 

extension (with SAFRAN for ESA). 


Services 

Performance of tests for the Critical Design 

Review of the IXV Vehicle (for SAFRAN) Test 

campaign including thermo‐mechanical, 

dynamic, permeability, venting and sneak‐flow 

tests on attachment parts and on subscale 

composite (CMC) parts. 

Services in the area of the Quality, Safety and 

Environment at the CSG‐Kourou (as ESQS for 

CNES and ARIANESPACE ). 

Performance of tests for a Versatile Thermal 

Insulation Tests for a Cryogenic Upper Stage 

(for TASI) Test campaign including thermomechanical 

and dynamic tests with sine and 

random loads on VTI sandwich panels‐ 

Services in the area of Industrial Safety and 

Quality Assurance for the construction of a 

Kinetic Shock Tube for Radiation Database for 

Planetary Entry (with IST for ESA). 


KEMET Electronics Portugal, SA 

http://www.kemet.com 

Cristina Mota‐Caetano 

cristinacaetano@kemet.com 

+351 266 75 96 00 

Description 

KEMET Electronics Portugal, SA is a 100% 

subsidiary company from the US Company 

KEMET Corporation, which was officially 

formed in 12 th February 1997. The company 

produces Tantalum Capacitors Surface 

Mounted Devices with MnO 2 and Polymer 

counter‐electrodes. 

Electronics Portugal, SA. In the same year the 

new polymer counter electrode technology was 

introduced in mass production. 

Based on KEMET Corporation strategic decision, 

in 2009, KEMET Electronics Portugal SA, started 

to be the footprint baseline for the 

Military/Space and Medical segments grows in 

Europe. New products qualification processes 

were kick‐off and are under execution adding 

to Telecom and Automotive an extended 

Portfolio. 


Capacitors are fundamental components that 

store, filter, and regulate electrical energy and 

current flow. They are found in all electronic 

application’s and products used today, 

including those in the computer, 

telecommunication, automotive, military and 

aerospace, medical, industrial/instrumentation 

(including lighting), and consumer market 

segments. 

Historical the plant is located in Évora, south of 

Portugal and had the official opening at 4 th 

September 1998. Until 1 st October 1999 was 

denominated as Siemens Matsushita and was 

in continuous scale up with 4 complete lines of 

standard MnO 2 counter‐electrode ramping up. 

The denomination changed to EPCOS in 1999 

with an extension in place, adding more 2 

production lines. 

In April 2006 KEMET Corporation acquired 

EPCOS Tantalum Business Division and the 

denomination change to the actual KEMET 

"High Reliability" versions of KEMET 

Corporation capacitors were used in every 

important military and aerospace effort from 

the first Telstar to Viking, the Apollo moon 

landing, the Patriot missile, and the Mir and 

International Space Stations. 

The product lines include the world's most 

complete surface‐mount and through‐hole 

capacitor technologies across tantalum, 


ceramic, aluminum (organic and electrolytic), 

film and paper dielectrics. 

The company markets for capacitors covers a 

large and diverse group of original equipment 

manufacturers (OEMs), electronics 

manufacturing services (EMS) providers, and 

electronics distributors around the world. 

Production is measured in the billions of pieces 

per year. 

For KEMET Electronics Portugal SA the main 

area of expertise, within the Tantalum SMD, 

has been the telecom and automotive 

segments, including all the safety applications 

as: ABS, AirBag and Transmission controls 

among others. 

designs because of their volumetric efficiency, 

basic reliability and process compatibility. 

The steady‐state and dynamic reliability of a 

tantalum capacitor are influenced by several 

factors under the control of the circuit design 

engineer. These factors are voltage de‐rating, 

ripple current and voltage conditions, 

maximum operating temperature and circuit 

impedance. It is also of interest that because of 

the solid nature of the tantalum capacitors 

construction, there is no known wear out 

mechanism by drying. 

The electrical characteristics of a Tantalum 

capacitor are determined by its structure: 

capacitance, leakage current, impedance/ESR 

and dissipation factor. Those characteristics 

are very dependent on the capacitors designs 

and materials. 


Services 

Solid Tantalum SMD Capacitors 

One of the main KEMET’s products is the solid 

tantalum capacitors that are manufactures all 

over the world with different technologies. At 

this moment, KEMET’s Évora plant provides 

two of them: MnO 2 and Conductive Polymer 

cathodes. 

As part of KEMET strategy the Évora plant is 

developing/executing projects to start mass 

production of high reliable solid tantalum 

capacitors with MnO 2 technology for Military 

and Aerospace industries, including the 

European Space Agency. 

Surface mount technology tantalum capacitors 

are increasingly being used in new circuit 



Logica 

http://www.logica.pt 

Tiago Pedro 

tiago.pedro@logica.com 

+351 210 01 80 00 

The services portfolio is aggregated in three 

core service lines, being the entire Logica 

group, both globally and locally organised along 

these lines. 

Business Process Outsourcing, 

Application Management, including ERP 

services and testing, 

Infrastructure Management. 

Description 

Logica Portugal was formed from the group 

Edinfor, established in 1991. With more than 

1000 employees in Portugal and Spain has 

offices in Lisbon, Porto and Madrid. With a base 

of more than 200 customers, it is one of the top 

3 IT service players in Portugal. 

Its global solution portfolio includes the 

provision of services in areas of technology 

consulting, systems integration and outsourcing 

for clients across various industries including 

financial, telecommunications, energy & 

utilities, industry, distribution and also public 

sector. 

Logica provides a wide supply of IT services, 

outsourcing and business solutions to 

organizations helping them achieving higher 

levels of performance. 

Software Development 

Logica Portugal has a long and proven record of 

project delivery including complex projects in 

business critical systems in key market sectors: 

Energy, Telecommunications, Public Sector and 

Transportation. Our expertise is recognized by 

the costumers and peers, including 

distinguished technology areas that range from 

Web Applications, Systems Integration, ERP to 

GIS and Testing. 

Maintenance and Operations 

At the service and management infrastructure 

level, Logica has the full range of integrated 

services that includes all the infrastructure 

functions from Network Access to Desktop 

Management and Remote Support: 

Management of the IT Outsourcing Contract of 

Portugal’s Energy Group (“Energias de 

Portugal” – EDP); 

16 years of leadership in the utilities market, 

with 65% market share with UBS; 


Logica’s service and infrastructure 

management is based on the Best Practices 

including ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library). We are 

in a privileged position to help the European 

Space Agency in improving their space mission 

related services operations by bringing the 

managed service expertise and experience in 

other industries. By increasing efficiency, 

repeatability, best practices in business 

processes, we will help bringing space to life 

with our legacy. 

adaptive communication networks) and 

systems specially designed to meter, collect 

and handle a vast range of power 

measurements and grid quality data. When 

integrated with business and technical systems, 

the AMI platform is one of the main 

cornerstones for the ‘SmartGrid’. 


Services 

Supply of Personnel 

Logica Portugal’s largest asset is the expert 

personnel that work in the most diverse areas. 

We can offer experts in managed testing, IT 

Security, GIS, project management, software 

development and systems integration. Logica is 

also experienced in working with mixed and 

international teams of different suppliers 

where the personnel expertise and flexibility is 

highly regarded. 

Consultancy and Special Services 

Logica Portugal puts knowledge and innovation 

in a special place. We take this seriously and 

keep working closely with some universities 

and the international academia. We work 

together in novel concepts that through the 

incubation of new ideas, we jointly identify 

innovative ways to use available technology or 

help research to push its boundaries. It is also 

this team remits to develop prototypes and 

proofs of concept, as well as further developing 

the corresponding industrialised solutions and 

exploring new business models. In parallel, we 

continuously evaluate technological, process, 

social and organizational trends. 

An Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) 

provides the perfect response to these new 

challenges. An AMI solution combines metering 

hardware (supported by reliable two‐way and 

Vessel Traffic System 

Examples of projects include the VTS (Vessel 

Traffic System) that provides a system for 

helping assessing the integrity of Portuguese 

territory and its national waters, using radar, 

AIS, voice communication, direction finder, 

meteorological capabilities and a microwave 

data communication network. This is aimed to 

improve the quality and capability for maritime 

traffic management, maritime security and 

environmental control in this wide area. 

GALILEO Service Centre Design Study 

Logica Portugal is also collaborating with ESA in 

the definition of the Galileo Service Centre 

Study. Together with a multi‐disciplinary team, 

Logica’s excellence is helping in the definition 

of the stringent requirements and architecture 

design of what will be a key component of the 

overall Galileo Programme. 



LusoSpace 

http://www.lusospace.com 

Ivo Vieira 

ivieira@lusospace.com 

+351 213 97 43 63 

Description 

LusoSpace is a company founded in 2002 with 

the aim to develop, produce, test and qualify 

space hardware. The main breakthrough 

project was the production and qualification of 

a magnetometer for satellite navigation. 

Nowadays, a total of 8 magnetometers have 

been produced and other 6 are being produced 

for the following missions: 

PROBA‐2 

AEOLUS 

Sentinel 1A; 

Sentinel 3A; 

Sentinel 1B 

Sentinel 3B 

SEOSAT 

LusoSpace’s main customers are ESA, Astrium 

Stevenage, Astrium Toulouse, Thales Alenia 

Space France‐Cannes, Thales Alenia Italy – 

Rome, Jena Optronik, RUAG and SENER. 

LusoSpace is fully compliant with ESA Standards 

and is ISO 9001 certified. Furthermore, the 

company has been successfully audited by 

Astrium and Thales for industrial procurement. 

LusoSpace is member of the PROESPAÇO, IST 

spin‐off and COTEC PME network and of. 

AOCS – Attitude orbit and control 

systems 

The main product of this field is a 

magnetometer for LEO/MEO satellites which 

can be used for the navigation of the satellite. It 

has been developed in the frame of an ESA 

contract and qualified for AEOLUS mission. 

LusoSpace is the main European provider of 

magnetometers and is beginning to sell this 

product outside of Europe. 

Optoelectronics 

Our capabilities are focused on custom optical 

products development. The main activity has 

been the preliminary development of a Head 

Mount Display for astronauts, the OGSE 

(Optical Ground Support Equipment) for the 

GAIA and Sentinel 3 satellites, and the 

development of a optical communication 

terminal in collaboration with RUAG‐Zurich. 

Additionally, we have been supporting Astrium 

in the Thermal Analysis of Sentinel 2 

optoelectronic payload. 

MEMS – micro electro mechanical 

systems 

LusoSpace is working with ESA on the 

development of procedures for evaluating and 

qualifying MEMS for the space sector. This is a 

new market in the space sector expected to 

enable high tech missions that are currently 

constrained by mass, volume or power 

limitations. The space qualification procedure 

for this technology is of the utmost importance 

since they provide a positive response to the 

demanding reliability of the space missions. 



Services 

Magnetometer 

The LusoSpace magnetometer is onboard 

Proba‐2 and Aeolus satellites for navigation 

information. 

of MEMS reliability in the European space 

sector. 

GAIA OGSE 

Working as system integrator and optical 

technology developer, LusoSpace developed 

the OGSE for the GAIA satellite and the testing 

system which projects a star pattern over the 

telescope CCD during the vacuum testing. 

This is the first‐ever Portuguese hardware to be 

used in critical space applications. 

Head Mount Display 

In the frame of an ESA project, LusoSpace 

concluded the preliminary development of a 

Head Mount Display for astronauts. 

Optical Communication for UAV’S / 

Satellites 

The most recent project includes the 

development an optical communications 

terminal between UAV’s and satellites. While 

Oerlikon is the prime contractor of the system 

development, LusoSpace is in charge of 

developing the laser terminal, a key technology 

for this challenging communication concept. 

Procedures for MEMS Qualification 

The set of procedures have been developed 

with ESA for the qualification of all kind of 

MEMS for the space sector. The miniaturization 

of hardware enables new and demanding 

scientific missions increasing the possibility of 

new discoveries. LusoSpace is at the forefront 


Novabase 

http://www.novabase.pt/en 

João Rafael Silva 

info@novabase.pt 

+351 213 83 63 00 

Description 

Novabase is the leading Portuguese company in 

IT business solutions. Its turnover was €236 

million in 2010, 15% of which originated from 

outside of Portugal. It has invested more than 

10 million euros in R&D. Novabase has 

operated in 28 countries on 5 continents and 

now has over 2,500 employees. The company 

currently has offices in Portugal, Spain, 

Germany, France, the Middle East and Angola. 


With a leading position in revenue gathering 

and protection systems as well as IT 

infrastructures, emerging areas such as ITS 

(Intelligent Transportation Systems), customercentric 

airport management and sustainability 

are also addressed. 

Since these factors greatly impact the economy 

and citizens’ quality of life, the intensive 

application of IT to mobility management 

entails great opportunities for differentiation 

through innovation and added value. 

This scenario is a privileged sphere of business 

for Novabase, with emphasis on its high 

potential for internationalization through the 

application and ongoing vertical development 

of the expertise for which it is already known, 

particularly in service design, business 

intelligence, CRM, enterprise management and 

customized development. 

Similarly, these capacities are used to address 

the needs of public and private companies in 

the area of civil and military space and aviation. 

Novabase works with its customers to develop 

solutions for mission planning and control, 

simulation of satellites, aircraft and UAV 

operations, together with integrated solutions 

based on fine geo referencing and real‐time 

satellite communications in various fields of 

application. 

Key References: BOEING, EADS, EMBRAER, TAP, 

SATA, ANA Airports, NAV, OGMA, Portugal 

Ministry of Defence, ASTRIUM, INMARSAT, ESA, 

EUMETSAT 


Services 

Novabase provided consulting services and IVV 

to the Mission Control Systems and Simulators, 

and On‐Site Acceptance Testing to the 

following satellites: HERSCHEL & PLANCK, 

MARS & VENUS EXPRESS, LISA PATHFINDER, 

CRYOSAT, GOCE and AEOLUS 

Virtu Product 

Virtualization tool for management and 

configuration of applications in virtualized 

environments. Automated testing in distributed 

environments and management of IT 

applications and infrastructure. Configuration 

at application level based on a simple premise: 


each application (or group) is a data block that 

can have a configuration associated and that 

can be fully parameterized. 

Mobile-Geo Product 

Geographic Information Systems High Precision 

applications on enhanced mobile interfaces for 

personal and professional purposes (Eureka/ 

Galileo Masters). 

SSVT Project 

3D Immersive system, applied to space by 

usage of emerging remote devices to operate 

Monitor & Control Systems, and support the 

spacecraft design. 

SIMSAT 

Consulting services to the Architectural Design 

phase of ESOC’s simulator port to the Linux 

Platform. Participation in the Factory 

Acceptance Testing and On‐Site Acceptance 

Phases. 

SCOS-2000 

Responsible for the validation of SCOS2000 v.5. 

Emphasis was given to the validation of new 

subsystems, namely PARC2 and FARC3. 

Involvement on the new testing ”framework” 

designated by ART4, to automate the validation 

process of SCOS2000. 

Airbus Military 

Mission Planning Framework where Novabase 

is participating in this effort in several stages of 

the software lifecycle, such as functional and 

organic analysis, development and tests, 

problem management and test results 

reporting. 

SESAR Project 

Novabase developed in Matlab and Simulink a 

model of an airport network, simulating each 

airport as a node connected to others via air 

routes, with the objective of understanding the 

behavior of the network based on changing 

demands. 



OMNIDEA, Lda 

http://www.omnidea.net 

Pardal, Tiago 

info@omnidea.net 

+351 211 91 31 69 

Description 

Founded in 2003 and incubated in ESA’s ESTEC 

until 2005, Omnidea is an innovative SME 

performing R&D in pioneering energy concepts 

and processes, and licensing the resulting IPR for 

use in products with worldwide application. 

Our R&D embraces high‐tech concepts for Space 

applications as well as affordable technologies 

for terrestrial daily use. The strategy for growth 

focuses on technology ownership and tailormade 

solutions in Space propulsion, terrestrial 

mobility and energy production. 

To match these ambitions, our research team 

with varied backgrounds is comprised mainly of 

mechanical engineers with some electronic 

engineers and chemists, all working to solve the 

complex problems of aerospace technology; 

Omnidea exports over 90% of its turnover and 

has as customers, companies as large and well 

known as EADS Astrium and Magna Steyr; also 

the European Space Agency is both our biggest 

client and a partner. 

In 2010 Omnidea became the first Portuguese 

PME to head a consortium in Energy in FP7, 

leading institutions such as EDP and RisØ‐DTU. 

For Space applications Omnidea has 

accumulated know‐how in: 

gas storage for propulsion, and 

CO 2 recycling into hydrocarbons 

In terrestrial applications Omnidea has been 

working in revolutionary, high altitude, wind 

energy production concepts, which surpass the 

capacity factor and lower the cost per MWh of 

currently available wind energy sources. 

Omnidea plans to spin‐off its Space gas storage 

technologies to future terrestrial energy carriers 

such as hydrogen. 

Areas of Expertise 

Fuel Cells and Electrochemical Systems for 

fuel production; 

Conceptual analysis and testing of Energy 

Storage Systems; 

Design and analysis of Terrestrial and Space 

Propulsion; 

Lighter‐than‐air structures design and 

construction; 

Advanced control and electronics for 

renewable energy conversion technologies 


Services 

Omnidea currently manages the following 3 

projects: 

ENERGON – Energy Storage Systems 

o Recycling of CO 2 into hydrocarbons 

and H 2 

INNOVGAS – Innovative Gas Storage 

o Space grade aluminum liners for 

COPV’s 

BOREAS – High altitude wind power & 

platform 


o Tethered system, for station keeping 

and wind power production, through 

aerodynamic force 

INNOVGAS 

The storage of Xenon (propellant in electric‐ionic 

drive) and Helium (pressurant in satellite 

chemical propulsion) is complex and expensive 

as the high launch costs per kg translate into 

minimum tank weight. This requirement 

translates into high pressures, comparable to 

compressed natural gas and hydrogen storage in 

transportation applications. INNOVGAS aims to 

replace the titanium liner in composite 

overwrapped reservoirs, with space grade 

aluminum ones, maintaining performance at a 

much lower cost. This was achieved with 

substantial R&D in novel production methods, 

with no need for longitudinal and girth welding 

and producing the shape in a single forming step. 

ENERGON 

The sharp increase in atmospheric CO 2 , one of 

the most important environmental issues facing 

mankind, prompted research into new usages for 

CO 2 (e.g. recycling) previously deemed 

unattractive for the lack of strict emission control 

and low hydrocarbon prices. Nevertheless, 

emission restrictions and high fuel prices have 

sparked Omnidea to perform R&D on the 

electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to produce H 2 , 

C x H y and O 2 . This system acts as a substitute for 

batteries, storing energy as hydrocarbons (CH 4 , 

C 2 H 4 and C 2 H 6 ) plus H 2 . Breakthroughs in long 

chain hydrocarbons production have been 

achieved and, consequently, efforts shifted 

towards the challenges of successful system 

integration. 

BOREAS 

Earth Observation, Global Monitoring, and 

Geographic Information Systems, are business 

areas estimated at over $5Bn. Although satellites 

are the main choices for these applications, High 

Altitude Platforms (HAP) have advantages such 

as lower costs and higher image resolution. HAPs 

are well suited to perform satellite data 

validation, fundamental to assess the accuracy of 

collected data. Onboard communication 

equipment can replace terrestrial base stations, 

a significant advantage in remote areas. The 

BOREAS technology provides means to lift a 

reasonably sized payload, through the use of 

aerodynamic lift coupled with a tethered layout 

and lighter‐than‐air technology, being able to 

remain airborne and keep station for long 

periods at very high altitudes. 


Solscientia, Lda. 

 

Laser Propulsion and Other Advanced 

Concepts 

SOLSCIENTIA Lda. 

Advanced Technologies and Consulting 

Prof. David Resendes 

dresendes@lispolis.pt 

+351 217 10 11 00 

Description 

SOLSCIENTIA‐Tecnologias Avançadas e 

Consultoria, Lda. is a spin‐off from GOLP and its 

founding members, remain associated with 

GOLP. Solscientia has as mission to develop 

and/or apply advanced technology solutions to 

problems of national and public interest. Its 

activity encompasses research and 

development as well as technology based 

innovative services in which physics 

applications have an important role. The 

motivation for the creation of Solscientia arose 

from the research experience in an industrial 

setting in the US of its principal founder 

associated with academic research at the 

Group for Lasers and Plasmas (GOLP) at the 

Technical University of Lisbon. 


 

 

 

 

Space Weather Plasma Modelling 

Electromagnetic Wave Interaction and 

Propagation in Plasmas, Communications, 

Blackout 

Active optical and microwave Remote 

Detection/Monitoring Technologies 

Plasma Aspects of Aerothermodynamic In‐ 

Flight Research, Measurements, and 

Physical Models 


Services 

Development of Plasma Reflectometry 

for In-Flight Aerothermodynamics 

Re‐entry reflectometry is a horizontal precursor 

flight technology able to provide plasma flowfield 

information not possible with other 

instruments. Such information is crucial for 

vehicle design, aeroassist/aerobrake 

technology, and communications “blackout” 

control, particularly for newer generation, high 

speed re‐entry scenarios. Such an instrument 

can also provide important scientific data if 

deployed on high speed 

planetary/lunar/cometary probes and sample 

return vehicles. The aim of this investigation is 

the improvement of European capability in 

accurately characterizing the plasma 

environment surrounding a Re‐entry Vehicle. 

The Re‐Entry Plasma Broadband Reflectometer 

(RPBR) breadboard was initially developed 

under ESA TRP funding. The main objectives of 

this technology research consisted in defining 

measurement requirements, selecting the most 

appropriate technology, elaborating a 

functional design, implementing a hardware 

design, and providing a breadboard system. An 

additional objective of the TRP was a 

preliminary study of the integration of the 

plasma reflectometer into a re‐entry vehicle. 

This included an identification of suitable high 

temperature windows, capable of satisfying the 

necessary microwave transparency as well as 

the thermal, strength and structural 

requirements. Follow on GSTP funding has 

focused on upgrading and testing the 


eflectometer in a relevant plasma 

environment. Appropriate range and time 

gating has been incorporated as well as 

increased sensitivity, dynamic range and SNR. 

mass of 200 g may be launched to above 10 

km. Other issues such as beam steering and 

mirrors were also addressed. 

Laser Propulsion for ESA Missions 

Laser propulsion allows for the possibility of 

rockets with high specific impulse, high thrust, 

and low propulsion weight, a combination of 

advantages not apparent in any other rocket 

propulsion scheme. Laser‐heated rockets have 

the potential for producing more than 1000 s, 

perhaps much more, by heating the propellant 

to more than 4000 K. The thrust depends on 

the power which can be absorbed in the 

propellant, and this is only limited by the laser 

power available at the rocket. Because laser 

power can be beamed from a remote laser 

source, a laser‐heated rocket need not carry its 

power source, enabling low weight. 

The project emphasized both fundamental 

physics issues and a determination of the stateof‐the‐art 

in thermal laser propulsion. The laser 

supported combustion (LSC) and laser 

supported detonation (LSD) wave mechanisms 

were explored for efficiency and 

implementation. Additionally both continuous 

wave (CW) and pulsed (RP) laser operation 

were investigated. Among the most promising 

laser sources is the free electron laser (FEL). 

The limiting bottleneck was determined to be 

available laser power. Modeling demonstrated 

that with existing 50‐100 KW CO2 lasers, a total 


ground segment, unmanned vehicle systems 

and space exploration missions. 

Spin.Works 

http://www.spinworks.pt 

Vasco Pimenta 

vasco.pimenta@spinworks.pt 

+351 210 12 84 52 

Description 

Spin.Works is an aerospace company dedicated 

to the development and manufacturing of 

aerostructures and unmanned systems for the 

Aeronautics, Space and Defence markets. 

Spin.Works has been strongly involved in R&D 

activities since its foundation in 2006, both at 

national and European levels, and having as its 

main customer the European Space Agency. 

Our mission is to create, develop and deploy 

innovative, multi‐disciplinary and cost‐effective 

solutions, in the areas of structures, 

mechanisms, guidance, navigation & control 

(GNC) systems, simulation, remote detection 

systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). 

Spin.Works aims to leverage its technical 

expertise to provide efficient, cost‐effective 

solutions to its customers, and to take 

advantage of its multi‐disciplinary competences 

to become a reference player in the emerging 

unmanned systems market. 


Spin.Works has strong expertise in Aerospace 

Structures and Aerospace Systems, applied to 

Structural Solutions & Composites 

Design, optimization, simulation, 

manufacturing and qualification of complete 

structural solutions. Emphasis on aviation, 

space, composites. Shelters for demanding 

environments in civil/military applications. 

Mechanisms 

Non‐explosive actuators for space applications. 

Integrated design of mechanisms involving 

coupled thermal‐structural‐software 

simulations. 

Simulation 

High fidelity simulation of multi‐body systems 

focusing on aerospace applications. Proprietary 

integrated framework for reconfigurable 

Mission Performance and Functional 

Engineering Simulation Tools. 

GNC 

Family of navigation (IMU, AHRS and INS/GPS) 

systems based on MEMS technology and stateof‐the‐art 

navigation filters, targeted towards 

UAV and general aviation markets. 

Flight Control Systems for UAV and space 

vehicles, including entry, automated descent 

and landing. 

Detection Systems 

Image processing software for detection 

systems based on opto‐electronic sensors. 3‐D 

reconstruction, feature extraction, tracking and 

real‐time decision making algorithms. 

Application to Hazard Detection and Avoidance 

systems for planetary landing. 

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles 

Design and development of UAV systems. 

Family of proprietary UAV systems including a 

micro UAV (1.5kg) and a Small Tactical UAV 

(25kg). 



Services 

GALILEO Up-Link Stations 

Manufacturing, assembly and delivery of 

twelve metallic/composite large antenna 

dishes, sub‐reflectors, as well as metallic 

support structure and pointing mechanisms for 

the GALILEO Global Satellite Navigation System 

Up‐Link Stations (ULS). Design and 

manufacturing support of 5 electronic 

equipment shelters for the GALILEO ULS. 

Hazard Avoidance strategies using real‐time 

image processing of visual and LIDAR images. 

The goal is to avoid shadows, craters, 

rocks>0.5m height & slopes>15 o to safely land 

on the Lunar South Pole, where maximum sun 

elevation is 1.5 o . 

Non Explosive Actuator 

ESA Contract, Prime Contractor. 

Development of a Non‐Explosive Actuator for 

Hold‐Down Release Mechanisms. 

Micro UAV System 

Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system (1.5kg) 

with proprietary navigation and flight control 

system, real‐time video and HiRes imaging. 

TAEM Guidance 

ESA Contract, Prime Contractor. 

Development of Modern Terminal Area Energy 

Management Guidance systems for: space 

planes, lifting bodies and capsules. 

Development of auto‐landing guidance and 

control systems for a space plane. Verification 

and validation using 4DOF and 6DOF 

simulation. 

Attitude Heading Reference System 

Attitude Heading Reference System with Air 

Data integration. MEMS‐based navigation 

system for unmanned aerial vehicles. 

NEXT Lunar Lander 

ESA Project, Sub‐Contractor of OHB System 

Phase A Mission Study of the NEXT Lunar 

Lander with In‐situ Science and Mobility. 

Spin.Works responsible for the development of 



TEKEVER ASDS 

http://www.tekever.com 

Mr. André Oliveira 

andre.oliveira@tekever.com 

+351 213 30 43 00 

Description 

The TEKEVER ASDS division of the TEKEVER 

Group provides the Aerospace, Defense and 

Security markets with innovative technology 

that enables them to modernize and evolve by 

increasing the quality of communication, 

information and action means available in the 

abovementioned domains in a continuous, 

sustainable and cooperative way. 

TEKEVER ASDS core expertise in the Space field 

are based on telecommunication systems (in 

particular networking techniques, signal 

processing, Satcom and Telecom service 

applications), Earth Observation payload data 

exploitation (data and information processing 

as well as application and services), advanced 

software Technologies and functions (Internet, 

distributed systems) and GNSS systems and 

ground related technologies (data processing 

and services and user segment). In addition to 

these, TEKEVER ASDS is extending its activities 

to the fields of on‐board data systems (onboard 

networks and software Technologies for data 

processing), Ground Segment communication 

network Technologies and protocols and 

aspects of planetary exploration. 

Internet or 

Distant network 

Optimised satellite resource 

management & usage 

Vertical 

integration 

MANET 

Optimised routing in hybrid 

satellite & MANET 

Incepted in 2001, TEKEVER creates technology, 

products and solutions designed to help 

individuals and organizations collaborate to 

achieve common goals without cumbersome 

technical limitations. TEKEVER is in constant 

pursuit of technical differentiation in the areas 

of interaction, cooperation and 

communication. In its first 7 years of activity, 

TEKEVER has achieved a leadership position in 

the Enterprise Mobility Platform and Solutions 

market, with its mBPM Platform and mBPMbased 

enterprise solutions. TEKEVER has offices 

in Portugal (Lisbon), USA (Palo Alto, CA), Brazil 

(São Paulo) and China (Beijing). 

Horizontal end-to-end optimisations (QoS, 

performances, resources usage, …) 

Existing satellite link 

Potential satellite link 


Services 

Early Warning & C2 Systems 

TEKEVER ASDS designs and develops early 

warning and Command and Control systems for 

public safety, security and defense applications 

exploiting space technology to the utmost. 

These solutions support threat detection and 

response processes, focusing on areas like 

inter‐organizational response process 


management and execution, cooperation 

between entities, and coordination of field 

resources. Taking advantage of space Remote 

Sensing and Satcom for data collection, 

detection, intelligence, coordination and 

dissemination, TEKEVER ASDS currently exploits 

a product line fully dedicated to these topics: 

DEWS. 

Space Based SDR MANETs 

The flexibility introduced by concepts such as 

SDR, ad‐hoc networking, hybrid networking, 

DTN and CR is revolutionizing communications 

as we know them. TEKEVER ASDS is applying 

these concepts directly to space 

communications by designing and developing 

satellite payloads for Mobile Ad‐hoc Networks 

based on SDR. 

Spin-In Of Terrestrial Technologies into 

Space 

The increasing involvement of private initiatives 

in space and the growing investments in 

terrestrial mass market technologies in the 

areas of communications, micro and nanoelectronics 

coupled with advances in lower cost 

space platforms and faster flight validation is 

shifting the way space systems are considered. 

TEKEVER ASDS explores these concepts and 

technologies to speed up the take up of 

technologies and solutions for space use 

Location, Tracking & Navigation 

Where TEKEVER ASDS explores products based 

on the results of ESA ARTES5 project LOBAS 

(Location Based Services Provider) as well as it 

own fleet management solution incorporating 

EO imagery based on the results of ESA project 

EOFleet. In addition, TEKEVER ASDS is 

developing products using technologies for 

remote sensing processing such as the ones 

used in ESA project ITI‐Mosaicing among others 

from other domains. 


satisfaction by continuously enhancing our 

project management performance”. 

Thales Portugal, S.A. 

http://www.thalesgroup.com/Portugal/ 

Sérgio Barbedo 

sergio.barbedo@thalesgroup.com 

+351 212 48 48 48 

Description 

Thales Portugal is a competence centre in 

integration of solutions for Transportation, 

Space, Defense and Security Solutions for 

Critical Infrastructures. 

Thales has as mission being the reference 

supplier of Mission Critical Solutions and 

Services. 

The Portuguese team started its activity in the 

early 90’s under the Portuguese Railways 

Network Modernization Plan. 

In 2007, with the replacement of Alcatel as 

shareholder, Thales Portugal increased its 

activities and gained complementary skills. 

Today, Thales Portugal has around 400 

specialized human resources, spread between 

Paço de Arcos and the 16 Maintenance Centers, 

with a strong capability to design, develop, and 

deploy multidisciplinary projects. With 

operations running in the five continents, 

Thales Portugal is recognized as a key 

technology partner. 

As part of Thales Group, Thales Portugal shares 

more than the name. The Portuguese company 

shares the vision of the Chairman and Chief 

Executive Officer of Thales Group, Mr. Luc 

Vigneron: “achieving sustainable customer 


Thales Portugal has large competencies and 

long experience in Integration and 

Implementation of multiservice complex 

projects. Supported by its strong Project 

Management and being a trustable 

Maintenance partner, Thales Portugal has local 

capability to develop, adapt and customize 

Thales’ products. 

Within Aerospace sectors, our people have 

functional experience and knowledge on the 

following domains: 

 

 

Command and Control 

Communications 

o International VoIP network 

management; Local Multipoint 

Distribution System (Wireless 

Network); Radio mobile monitoring 

system (CDMA plus Bluetooth); RF 

Payload and Systems; Telecom 

System Engineering Tools; Network 

Techniques; Telecom Security 

Techniques and Technologies; 

Payload Tools (RF); 


Telecommunication Payloads (RF); 

Simulation tools and Link design 

Navigation Systems 

System Design & Verification 

o System Design and Simulation and 

Multidisciplinary Analysis 

Automation, Telepresence & Robotics 

o Associated to the video processing 

and analysis activities, specific 

knowledge on perception has been 

acquired and developed 

Security (Cyber & Surveillance) 

Imaging Diagnostics and Image Treatment 

Technologies 

o Image processing and security 

analysis. Feature extraction, 

detection and tracking, and visual 

perception are some of the fields of 

expertise 


Services 

Command & control case study – Lisbon 

Operation Control Center (PT Railway) 

Thales Portugal managed the entire project, 

from the first draft to the finished and 

operational building, and the result was a 

critical infrastructure with the following key 

benefits: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global project Concept 

Integration of 5 Regional Control Traffic 

Centers in 1 single Operation Control Center 

Seamless interoperability 

Management of all video surveillance 

installations 

Fully integrated systems solutions 

Innovative implementation and 

development of new functionalities 

Field‐proven features 

Integration of 3 rd parties solutions 

Telecommunications– case studies 

Rocade Nord Railway System, Algeria 

o Data network, fiber optics network, 

passenger information system. 

Gotthard Tunnel, Switzerland 

o Safe Data Network system 

Surveillance Systems – case studies 

Harbor of Sines, Portugal 

o CCTV system and Ship plate 

recognition 

Information Systems – case studies 

FOCIS (Ferry Operations and 

Communications Information System), 

Australia 

Thales Portugal’s capabilities to achieve 

successfully all goals are shown through the 28‐ 

month turn key project that equipped the 

Portuguese Railway Infrastructure Manager 

with a state‐of‐art command & control center. 


Zeugma – Tecnologia de Sistemas Industriais, S.A. 

http://www.zeugma.pt 

Humberto Cunha 

humberto.cunha@zeugma‐tsi.pt 

+351 261 81 62 70 

Description 

Zeugma is a provider of custom advanced 

factory automation systems, assembly lines, 

robot cells and automatic test systems. 

This expertise has been crystallized by 

providing machines and manufacturing 

solutions for industries like paper, packaging, 

automotive, electronics, consumer goods, 

aerospace, food and biomedical. 

Zeugma's products range from slitter 

rewinders, doctor machines, automated 

assembly lines, palletizer robots, lean 

manufacturing stations, selective soldering 

machines, mini wave soldering machines, 

packaging lines and SCADA systems. 

maintenance services and Industrial 

consultancy. 

The technological know‐how may be divided in 

three areas: 

Electric / electronic engineering 

Automation, Process control, Motion 

control, Industrial robotics, Machine vision, 

Instrumentation, Equipment Supervision, 

and Electrical and electronic design and 

systems integration 

Main tools: Eplan, Siemens Simatic and NI 

LabVIEW. Zeugma is Siemens Solutions 

Partner for Automation 

Mechanical engineering 

Pneumatics, Hydraulics, Structural design, 

Structural dynamics and vibration, 

Mechanism kinematics & dynamics, 

Mechanical design and integration 

Main tools: SolidWorks, 

MechanicalDesktop, AutoCAD and 

PDMWorks 

Other 

Maintenance management software, 

Technical Service, Total preventive 

maintenance (TPM), Reliability centered 

maintenance (RCM), Simulation of 

production processes, Project management 

and Risk management 

Main tools: Sage/GCNext(ERP), MSOffice, 

MSProject and SQLServer 


Zeugma has a vast experience in industry 

sectors such as paper, packaging, automotive 

and electronics amongst others, being able to 

deliver products and services to customers 

accordingly to three different business areas: 

Industrial equipment and systems, Industrial 



Services 

ESTEC - Large Diameter Centrifuge 

Zeugma developed the Large Diameter 

Centrifuge, a special test system for ESA Life 

and Physical Sciences Instrumentation 

Laboratory. 

The large diameter (8 meters) centrifuge can 

provide the hyper gravity environment to cells 

and small animals, allowing the acquisition of 

the measurement points in the range from 1 to 

20G. The application of this test system is not 

limited to living systems, but may have also 

applications in the area of Physical Science 

experiments. 

Zeugma used CAD and CAE software on the 

design of this automated test system. Vibration 

analysis and structural dynamics provided a 

solid tool for the design optimization. 

The centrifuge is able to accelerate from still to 

20G when fully loaded in less than 60 seconds. 

The LDC has room to accommodate 6 gondolas 

(experiments containers) plus one central 

reference gondola. Each gondola can carry up 

to 80kg experimental payload, and is provided 

with serial, USB, Ethernet and Video 

connections available for experiments setup. 

The gondolas can be supplied with water and 

gas from on‐rotor storage facilities, broadening 

the range of possible tests and increasing 

experiment duration while avoiding 

intermediate stops. Forced ventilation of the 

gondolas is also possible. 

Using a user‐friendly user interface the scientist 

is able to define and automate test 

experiments with durations up to 6 months and 

then remotely monitor the test data. 

The Large Diameter Centrifuge is in operation 

at the ESA facility in ESTEC at Noordwijk in The 

Netherlands since the beginning of 2008. 

ESA ‐ A. Le Floc'h 


Portugal’s space policy and related 

industrial development plans. 

PROESPAÇO ‐ the Portuguese Association of Space 

Industries 

http://www.proespaco.pt 

António Neto da Silva (President) 

proespaco@mail.telepac.pt 

Description 

PROESPAÇO main objectives are: 

To promote in Portugal activities related to 

space in all their aspects. 

To be a representative organization, acting 

as an intermediary and interface with the 

public administration and national and 

international organizations in all matters 

relating to the space industry. 

To work at all government levels (local, 

regional, national and supra‐national) to 

achieve a substantial increase in the 

participation of Portuguese industry in 

space‐related activities at a national, 

European and global level. 

To provide expert information on the space 

industry in Portugal and on all related 

research, development and support 

programmes. 

To provide a single voice to represent 

Portuguese industry in regard to the 

orientation of Portuguese space policies. 

To extend and strengthen cooperation 

between companies, universities and state 

research institutes in R&D activities aimed 

at developing new technologies and 

products for use in space. 

To contribute studies, analyses and 

viewpoints to the institutes and 

organizations responsible for drawing up 

Secondary Aims 

To act as an organized forum for debate 

and business development to meet the 

needs of the Portuguese space community. 

To collect and exchange information 

relating to markets skills and know‐how for 

the benefit of Association members. 

To set up and launch working groups to 

formulate and plan activities in specific 

areas of common interest. 

To represent and communicate the 

common interests of the Portuguese space 

industry to all sectors of society and to 

international organizations with similar 

aims. 

To inform society as a whole of the 

importance in everyday life, both today and 

in the future, of the application of space 

technology. 

To provide foreign institutions with easy 

access to information about the Portuguese 

space industry. 

To organize visits to Portugal and to 

relevant meetings for delegations from 

overseas. 

To create, maintain and keep permanently 

updated a complete catalogue of the 

Portuguese space industry, including a 

directory of members, covering the space 

and earth sectors as well as related 

services. 

To represent the Portuguese space industry 

at international 


Associated Companies 

- 



CCTAE 

Centre for Aeronautical and Space Science and 

Technology 

http://cctae.ist.utl.pt 

Prof. L. M. B. C. Campos 

luis.campos@ist.utl.pt 

351 218 41 72 67 

Description 

The CCTAE (Center for Aeronautical and Space 

Science and Technology) is the research arm of 

the academic unit ACMAA (Scientific Area of 

Applied and Aerospace Mechanics), which 

coordinates all degrees teaching Aerospace 

Engineering at IST, namely: Bachelor in 

Aerospace Science (3 years); Master in 

Aerospace Engineering (branches: Aircraft, 

Avionics, Space); Doctorate in Aerospace 

Engineering (3 years). 

The group at CCTAE/ACMAA has 30 years of 

experience in research in aeronautical and 

space science and technology, including 

authorship of 4 books, 110 articles in journals, 

160 communications to symposia and 30 

internationally funded research projects. 

It operates an aeroacoustic wind tunnel and a 

six‐degree‐of‐freedom flight simulator. It has 20 

years of experience of flight testing, of more 

than 12 types of aircraft, from transport aicraft 

(C‐130, P‐3) and business jets (Falcon 20 and 

50) to fighters (A7P, Alpha‐jet) and helicopters 

(Puma). 

The main areas of expertise across the 

aerospace field are: 

trajectories of launch vehicles: calculation 

and optimization of trajectories, including 

atmospheric effects on lifting designs, twopoint 

boundary‐value problems of orbital 

insertion; 

aerothermodynamics: modelling of heat 

transfer between high‐speed viscous 

thermally conducting flow and thermal 

stresses in a structure, including the effects 

of ablative material and internal cooling; 

modelling of acoustic fatigue of structures 

subject to intense random or stochastic 

pressure fluctuations and loads due to 

turbulent flows and engine exhausts; 

thermoacoustic coupling and combustion 

instability in confined spaces including 

geometric effects of boundary conditions 

and flame front; 

atmospheric entry and re‐entry of satellites 

or probes, including ionization and chemical 

reaction effects at high‐speed of payload 

return missions; 

magnetohydrodynamics of the solar 

atmosphere and wind, including flows and 

magnetic fields associated with magnetoacoustic‐gravity 

waves; 

stellar models and data analysis based on 

coupled acoustic‐magnetic‐gravity effects. 

In general, dynamics of atmospheric and space 

flight, including aerothermodynamics of 

hypersonic flight in the atmosphere, space 

environment for interplanetary and solar 

missions, and atmospheric entry for space 

probes and sample return missions; all aspects 

of aeroacoustics, including acoustic fatigue, 

themoacoustic instability and aerodynamic and 

engine noise. 



Services 

There is a close link between aeronautics and 

space research, as testified in the following 

internationally funded projects: 

P‐3 Orion ‐ Structured load monitoring; 

RNAF/FAP ‐ NLR / IST. 

ENABLE ‐ Transmission of boundary layer 

noise; EU ‐ Dassault. 

JEAN ‐ Noise of turbulent jets; EU‐TCD. 

SILENCER ‐ Liners with non‐uniform 

impedance for engine inlets and exhausts; 

EU ‐ SNECMA. 

ROSAS ‐ Installation effects on engine noise; 

EU ‐ EADS France. 

VELA ‐ Optimization and control of flying 

wing aircraft; EADS ‐ Germany. 

NEFA ‐ Control coupling and de‐coupling of 

V‐tailed aircraft; EU ‐ Airbus France. 

SEFA ‐ Reduction of aircraft noise around 

airports; EU ‐ Dornier. 

FRIENDCOPTER ‐ Generation of helicopter 

noise and transmission to the ground; EU ‐ 

Eurocopter. 

NACRE ‐ Flight dynamics and noise of new 

aircraft configurations; EU ‐ Airbus France. 

EGNOS ‐ Monitoring of accuracy and 

integrity of satellite navigation signals ‐ 

EU/ESA/Eurocontrol ‐ ANA/IST. 

X3‐NOISE ‐ Aeroacoustics network; EU ‐ 

SNECMA. 

FLPP ‐ Calculation of trajectories of lifting 

re‐usable launch vehicles through the 

atmosphere into orbit; ESA ‐ 

Astrium/Deimos. 

COSMA ‐ Atmospheric propagation and indoor 

transmission of aircraft noise; EU ‐ 

EADS Deutschland. 

For each project were indicated the area of 

work, the funding institution (EU, ESA, 

Eurocontrol, Portuguese (PoAF) Air Force) and 

the overall project leader. The projects listed 

involved cooperation with more than 30 

aircraft companies, 14 research centres, 36 

universities, 40 SME's, and 10 national and 4 

international institutions. National and 

international projects outside the 

EU/ESA/Eurocontrol are not included. 

The main areas of expertise across the 

aerospace field are: 

Flight dynamics: trajectories, stability, and 

control of aircraft and rockets, including: (i) 

optimization of aircraft design to minimize 

cruise drag and maximize control 

effectiveness in adverse conditions and 

atmosphere disturbances; (ii) optimization 

of satellite launch trajectories including 

effects of lift in atmospheric flight; (iii) 

aircraft separation in air traffic 

management, due to wakes, to collision 

risk, and use of satellite navigation; 

Aeroacoustics of aerodynamic and engine 

noise, including engines, inlets, nozzles, 

turbulent flow, boundary layers, active 

noise reduction, acoustic fatigue and 

thermoacoustic stability; 

Aerothermodynamics of hypersonic flight, 

including heat transfer between flows and 

structures; 

Atmospheric effects on vehicle dynamics: 

winds, wakes. 

Atmospheric and ground effects on noise. 

Magnetohydrodynamics: physics of ionized 

matter, including space environment, solar 

physics, solar‐terrestrial physics and 

phenomena related to plasma/fluid flow 

under gravity, magnetic, and rotation 

forces. 

This research is backed by a 30 year experience 

on Mathematical‐physical modelling in 

Mechanics of Solids, Fluid Dynamics, Acoustics 

and Electrodynamics. 


Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais 

www.fc.up.pt/cicge 

J. Pereira Osório, Professor Catedrático, 

CIGCE Scientific Coordinator 

jposorio@fc.up.pt 

+351 220 40 21 28 

Description 

The activities of CICGE belong to different areas 

of the Earth and Space Sciences, including pure 

and applied scientific research, advanced 

teaching and education, promotion of science 

and services to the community. With a research 

team of 17 PhDs, it is organized in two different 

Groups: 

Group 1 – Satellite Positioning and Navigation, 

Coastal Zones Applications, Space Weather and 

Reference Systems; 

Group 2 – Remote Sensing, Image Processing 

and GIS. 


Group 1- Satellite Positioning and 

Navigation, Coastal Zones Applications, 

Space Weather and Reference Systems 

• Satellite Positioning and Navigation: GNSS 

Applications in different areas of human 

activity; GNSS Permanent Network 

(GEONET); GPS Software Receiver for 

Location-Based Services. 

• Coastal Zones Applications: Retrieving TSM 

concentration from multi-spectral satellite 

data; Estimation of river plume size based 

on image segmentation; Beach 

hydromorphological behavior analysis 

through remote sensing; Bathymetric 

estimation by using satellite data; 

Extraction of a sand spit from IKONOS-2 

satellite images; Breakwater stability 

analysis through a DGPS network – Madeira 

Harbour, Portugal. 

• Space Weather: Solar Energetic Particle 

Events: Models of particle propagation in 

the interplanetary medium; Large Scale 

Structure of the Solar Wind; Solar Radio 

Emissions associated with flares; CMEs and 

shocks using data from our radio-telescope; 

Models of Near Earth Radiation 

Environment. 

• Reference Systems: Gaia is a global space 

astrometry mission of ESA. We are involved 

in the selection and characterization of the 

QSOs, in terms of intrinsic properties in 

correlation with the accuracy and stability 

of the object's centroid coordinates. The 

main goal is to produce a list of confirmed 

and well studied QSOs that can help on 

defining the alignment between 

International Celestial Reference Frame 

(ICRF) and the Gaia Extragalactic Celestial 

Reference Frame (GCRF). 

Group 2 - Remote Sensing, Image 

Processing and GIS 

• Image Classification, Image Segmentation, 

Biomedical Applications of Image 

Processing. 

• Digital Photogrammetry, Terrestrial 

Photogrammetry, Image orientation and 

DEM extraction from high resolution 

satellite images, Geometric Corrections of 

Satellite Imagery, Airborne and Terrestrial 

Laser Scanning, GIS data capture. 

• Biogeography, Spatial Biology, Ecological 

Modelling, Precision Agriculture, Remote 


Sensing of Vegetation, Natural Resources 

Management. 


Services 

• COST Action MP0905 – “Black Holes in a 

Violent Universe”. 

• ERIG – Education, Research and Innovation 

in the field of GNSS, Large European 

Consortium supported by the European 

GNSS Supervisor Authority (GSA). 

• GEONET – GNSS Permanent Network 

(FCUP, FCTUC, IICT, IPG and AFA) 

(supported by FCT). 

• SOFTWARE RECEIVER – GPS Software 

Receiver for Location-Based Services. 

• GNSS Applications – Different Projects on 

the use of GNSS in several areas of human 

activity (plate tectonics and volcano, 

aeronautics, agriculture, environment, 

mobile phones, urban traffic control, 

atmospheric studies and outer space). 

• GAIA – Global Astrometric Interferometer 

for Astrophysics, European Space Mission, 

member of the coordination unit CU3 – 

Core Processing (national participation 

supported by FCT). 

• GREAT – Gaia Research for European 

Astronomy Training, Working Group C3 

“Quasars”; Working Group C2 “Astrometry 

Reference Frame”. 

• TSM Concentration – Retrieving TSM 

concentration from multispectral satellite 

data by linear regression and artificial 

neural networks. 

• RIVER PLUME SIZE – Estimation of the 

Douro river plume size based on image 

segmentation of MERIS scenes (ESA, Earth 

Observation Program). 

• Beach classification - Beach 

hydromorphological classification through 

remote sensing data and image processing 

techniques. 

• SANDY - Cabedelo SANd Spit 

MorphoDYnamic Evolution and Modelling 

using IKONOS data – Douro River, Portugal 

(ESA, Earth Observation Program). 

• MoZCo - Advanced methodologies and 

techniques development for coastal zone 

monitoring. 

• The Near-Earth radiation environment is 

being modelled through a collaboration 

with LIP, as part of an effort funded by FCT. 

• Energetics of Propagating Coronal Mass 

Ejections are being studied through a SHINE 

collaboration with the University of 

California at Berkeley. 

• CICGE/ADFCUP is part of a Portuguese 

consortium, including members from 

IT/Aveiro, CENTRA/IST and Evora University, 

working to bring the European Square 

Kilometre Array (SKA) test site to Portugal. 

• Laser Scanning / DEM Generation 

o FCT Project “Forest and Fuel 

Variables Estimation and Digital 

Terrain Modelling with Airborne 

Laser Scanning and High Resolution 

Multi-Spectral Images” 

o DEM extraction from ALOS-PRISM 

data 

• Agriculture / Vegetation 

o LAMESAT_XXI, FCT, 2007-2010, 

Ancestral irrigation management on 

mountain semi-natural meadows 

using remote sensing 

o Remote Sensing for vineyard 

monitoring 

• Biodiversity / Biogeography 

o Expansion model for a tree frog 

• Biogeography of crocodiles 

• Image Processing Applications 


• Computing architectures (e.g., a grid for 

ground data centers) and real-time and 

embedded systems for spacecraft 

environments. 

Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa 

http://www.fc.ul.pt 

Prof. José Manuel Rebordão 

jmrebordao@fc.ul.pt 

+351 217 50 00 00 / 217 50 05 16 

FCUL research units active in space technology 

and applications are the Lab. of Optics, Lasers and 

Systems (LOLS), the Large-Scale Informatics 

Systems Lab. (LaSIGE), the Center of Astronomy 

and Astrophysics (CAAUL), the Lab. of Systems, 

Instrumentation and Modeling (SIM), the 

Instituto Dom Luís (IDL) and the Center of 

Oceanography (CO). 

Description 

Space and Earth sciences are at the core of the 

activity of FCUL, at research and training levels. 

These sciences influence space missions design, 

drive space infrastructures and benefit from 

systems that are actually implemented, either in 

space or on the ground. 

FCUL is still the R&D organization with the largest 

number of ESA activities, and participates in 

space science consortia to develop ground 

segments for ESA missions. Links with groundbased 

astronomy programs are well established 

(ESO or others). 

In science FCUL participates at infrastructures 

which generate and process astrophysical data. In 

Earth sciences, FCUL is active in remote sensing 

applied to Earth systems interfaces (EUMETSAT), 

meteorology, oceanography and geophysics. In 

technology FCUL has an intensive activity in: 

• Instrument design, construction, integration 

and testing associated with optical 

technologies; cryogenics, mechanical 

structures and detector electronics - which 

have been used to implement scientific 

instruments for ESO and as tools for space 

optical metrology, autonomous navigation 

and instrument processors; 


FCUL capabilities have been used to develop: 

• Optical Metrology, covering high precision 

optical metrology for constellations, enabling 

synthetic aperture optics or configuration 

control, theoretically assessed and 

demonstrated in laboratory; 

• Optical Navigation coupled to GNC, for 

relative navigation between S/C, terrain 

navigation and hazard avoidance for 

automatic landing in planetary surfaces, with 

optical cameras and/or lidar; 

• Instrument Processors and Simulators for 

ground instrument processing chains or 

generating instrument telemetry in the 

context of specification and interfaces 

between instrument subsystems. 

• Spacecraft operating systems and computing 

paradigms, with new approaches for 

combining real-time and generic operating 

systems in S/C on-board systems to enable 

building highly dependable and secure 

systems and to use bio-mimetic models to 

manage space robots. 

Space applications, especially in the fields of 

oceanography, navigation and geodesy, geology 

and geophysics, meteorology and climatology. 


XLIF 

YLIF 

ZLIF 

Main Projects, Products and Services 

PLANAV – Image-based Navigation Tool for Mars Lander 

(2003-2004) - Accurate determination of the landing site of 

Beagle 2 (Mars Express) using Mars moons positions. 

Beagle failed. Tools will be used in future missions. 

NPAL – Navigation for Planetary Approach and 

Landing (2001-2004) - Feature points identification 

and tracking, to extract terrain features and enable 

relative navigation (planetary approach and landing). 

LiGNC – LIDAR Guidance, Navigation and Control (2004- 

2005). LAPS - Preparatory Lidar-based Autonomous 

Planetary Landing System (LAPS) (2008-...) - Design and 

testing of a lidar processing chain to enable the 

reconstruction of the surface topography and assess the 

landing risk. Adaptation to new lidar modes. 

VBrNav – Vision based relative 

navigation (2004-2006). HASE – 

Hazard Avoidance Real Time 

Experiment (2008-2011) - Hazard 

mapping for planet landing; optical 

navigation (RVD) for approaching S/C. 

GNCO – Guidance, Navigation and 

control for elliptical Orbits (2006-2008) - Follow on of RVD part of 

VBrNav, to cope with highly non-circular orbits. 

PROBA 3 (20011-2016) – ESA demonstration mission 

for formation flying technologies. Portuguese RVD 

experiment on board (VBrNav). 

AutoNav – Autonomous onboard navigation for 

interplanetary missions (2001-2005) – Using 

stars and moving bodies to extract accurately the 

Line-Of-Sight (LOS) and S/C attitude. 

GNCO Maturation and Validation for Rendezvous in 

Elliptical Orbit (2008-2011) - Generalization of the IP 

for RVD for a spherical, unstable and passive canister, 

returning from Mars surface with soil samples. 

Laboratory experiment integrating IP and GNC. 

AEROFAST – AEROcapture for Future spAce tranSporTation (2008- 

2011) – FP7 / Space - Aerocapture technologies for human Mars return 

missions. IP to support the GNC. Generalization and improvements over 

AutoNav and GNCO Maturation projects. Laboratory experiment 

integrating IP and GNC. 

EUCLID RTP 9.9 - High resolution optical 

satellite sensor (2003-2005) - Frequency 

sweeping interferometry for optical metrology 

for synthetic aperture optical instruments. 

HPOM – High Precision Optical Metrology (2002- 

2004). FP-MET – Fabry-Perot based metrology 

(2006-2009) - Laser interferometer to measure 

distances up to 250 m with 10 μm accuracy. 

Technological maturation; candidate metrology 

technology to be used in ESA PROBA 3 mission. 

HAALDM – Absolute long-distance 

measurement with (sub-)μm accuracy for 

formation flight (2007-2008) - Femto-second 

lasers for long-distance measurement for 

formation flying missions, such as XEUS. 

MLSL – Mode-locked Semiconductor lasers (2008- 

2012) - Assessment of semiconductor pico-second 

lasers for high precision metrology, following 

HAALDM results. Focus on device performances and 

stability. 

GAIA – OGSE – Optical Ground Segment Equipment Test (2008-2009) - 

Radiometric tests of the OGSE: low light radiometry, attenuation, 

temporal stability and uniformity 

evaluations. The optical head is being used 

to test Gaia focal plane mosaic of 106 CCD’s. 

(Lusospace). 

SMOS – Soil Moisture and 

Ocean Salinity (2004-2006) - 

Development of the ground 

segment of SMOS / MIRAS and evaluation of adaptive 

striping techniques using different types of apodization 

functions. System errors and sensitivity analysis. 

GAIA-FPASS – Focal Plane Assembly Static Simulator (2006-2008) - 

Focal plane simulator addressing all 

details of the two telescopes with a 

common focal plane, and generating 

images and telemetry samples. 

GAIA-DPAC – Data Processing 

Analysis Consortium (2007-2011) - 

Within ESA DPAC, FCUL is active on 

system architecture, modeling of 

dispersive instruments (LOLS & CAAUL), ground segment architecture 

and data bases and extraction of stars astrophysical parameters (SIM). 

PLATO – Planetary transits and oscillations of stars 

(2010-2018) - For a 128 camera ESA system, image 

processing, accurate stars centroiding, attitude and 

timing management, reference systems. Testing PLATO 

cameras at room temperature. 

AIR: ARINC 653 Interface in RTEMS (2006-2007). AIR-II: ARINC 653 in 

Space RTOS - Industrial Initiative (2008-2009) - Proof-of-concept of 

ARINC 653 in space onboard software, using 

the real time Executive for Multiprocessor 

Systems (RTEMS) operative system. Evolution 

towards an industrial product, featuring: robust 

time and space partitioning 

(TSP) and resource sharing; TSP-specific processor 

architecture and features; multicore-aware scheduling; 

input/output functions and wired & wireless 

networking; online reconfiguration and (self- 

)adaptability. 

SIMORG - Swarm intelligence modeling of root growth (2009-2011) - 

Root growth is modeled as a collective of agents, growth pattern 

emerging as a result of the individual decision-making of the apexes. 

Roots' capabilities to explore nutrient may inspire robots exploring 

planets. 

COAST COLOUR (2010-2011) - Demonstration, 

validation and inter-comparison of retrieval 

algorithms over a global range of coastal water 

types, using ESA MERIS, a 300 m resolution 

instrument. Quality control of end-users data. 

VAE-INTERTIDAL - Value added 

Element for monitoring Intertidal Flats (2009-2011) - 

Study international market for monitoring of intertidal 

flats and develop the classification beyond the current 

state in order to adapt it to other regions. The Tagus 

Estuary is the test site. 

LMINSAR - Landslide risk mapping in the Lisbon 

area, Portugal, by means of inSAR (2008-2011) - 

Detection of ground subsidence in the city of 

Lisbon using Interferometric SAR and topographic 

data. 

COASTALT - Development of radar altimetry data 

processing in the oceanic coastal zone (2009-2011) 

Transition of pulse-limited coastal altimetry towards a mature, preoperational 

status. New coastal radar altimeter products. Performance 

of new coastal products over the west Iberia margin. 

Blue – Optical Navigation. Yellow – Optical metrology. Orange – 

Instrumentation. Green – Computer sciences. Gray – Space Applications 


Ciência e a Tecnologia – FCT). IGP regularly 

hosts MSc and PhD students who develop their 

research within this framework. 

Instituto Geográfico Português 

http://www.igeo.pt 

Rui Pedro Julião 

rpj@igeo.pt 

+351 21 381 96 00 

Description 

The Portuguese Geographic Institute (Instituto 

Geográfico Português – IGP) is the National 

Mapping Agency responsible for the geographic 

information policy. Its activity is set in a broad 

framework of competencies such as being the 

national authority for geodesy, cartography and 

cadastre, as well as the coordinator of the 

Portuguese spatial data infrastructure (SNIG) 

and the responsibility for Research & 

Development (R&D) in geographic information 

specific domains that includes environment, 

land management and remote sensing. 

The R&D related activities within the remote 

sensing domain are fully dedicated to Earth 

Observation and focus in the extraction of land 

use and land cover information from satellite 

and other EO data. 

For the purpose, IGP participates in several 

R&D projects and programmes, both 

individually and through partnerships with 

other national and international organisations. 

These activities are essentially funded by the 

European Commission (EC) and by the 

Portuguese Government, namely through the 

National Science Foundation (Fundação para a 

IGP is the National Reference Centre in Land 

Use and Spatial Information (NRC‐LUSI) for the 

European Environment Agency (EEA) and it also 

contributes, as focal point for land use and 

land‐use change, to the fulfillment of Portugal’s 

obligations in the framework of international 

climate change treaties. 

Furthermore, the fact that this activity is 

performed in an organisation that is a data 

provider of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) 

cartography, gives it an important advantage: 

the ability to produce scientific research with 

an operational perspective. 


IGP’s activities focus on digital image 

processing methods for thematic information 

extraction from satellite data, mostly for LULC 

characterisation, in a wide range of application 

fields (e.g. environmental monitoring, forestry, 

agriculture). In the past IGP has developed a 

strong experience in working with high spatial 

resolution satellite imagery (e.g. Landsat TM). 

Its present and mid‐term strategy is to expand 

this scope towards both very high (e.g. IKONOS) 

and medium/low (e.g. MODIS, MERIS) spatial 

resolution satellite data. 

IGP is involved in both research projects and 

cartographic production programmes (namely 

national‐scale LULC thematic cartography 

programmes). Through them IGP has gathered 

a solid experience from the methodological 

point of view as well as from the data handling 

point of view. More specifically, IGP has 

expertise in the development and use of 


automatic and semi‐automatic processing 

chains for LULC mapping, in the visual 

interpretation of aerial imagery for the 

production of LULC cartography, and it has also 

acquired a reliable experience in working with 

medium, high and very high spatial resolution 

satellite data. 


Services 

CORINE Land Cover (CLC) 

Coordinate and produce the Portuguese 

CORINE Land Cover cartography based on 

satellite images for different reference dates. 

Land Use and Land Cover Map of 

Continental Portugal for 2007 (COS2007) 

Coordinate the production of the Portuguese 

Land Use and Land Cover Map of Continental 

Portugal for 2007. 

HELM - Harmonised European Land 

Monitoring 

Participate in the creation of a European 

network of Public Administration bodies 

concerned with LULC. 

Desert Watch Portugal (DW-E) 

Develop and produce spatially distributed 

indicator on desertification using satellite 

images in order to fulfil the obligations of 

providing information committed with the 

United Nations Convention to Combat 

Desertification – UNCCD. 

LANDYN – Land use and cover change in 

Continental Portugal 

Characterize the changes of LULC in Portugal 

from the last six decades, as a support to 

identify the main driving forces behind them 

and build the future scenarios until 2040 using 

spatial models. 

LANDAU – Geostatistical methodologies 

for spatial accuracy assessment and 

update of land cover maps 

Characterize the spatial pattern of error in LULC 

maps in order to evaluate how the uncertainty 

of classification spreads over maps for 

estimating forestry resources and develop new 

stochastic simulation methods for updating 

purposes. 

FIRELAND – Wildfire effects on the 

vegetation dynamics at the landscape 

scale in Portugal 

Perform a broad and detailed analysis of the 

spatial‐temporal dynamics within the forestry 

induced by wildfires. 

PREK 

Contribute for the pilot study on the definition 

of Portugal’s reporting methodology under the 

United Nations Framework Convention on 

Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto 

Protocol, in the land use, land‐use change and 

forestry (LULUCF) sector. 

TIGER - Capacity Building Facility (TCBF) 

Provide scientific and technical support to the 

African consortia involved in the development 

of TIGER and ESA projects. 


INEGI – Institute for Mechanical Engineering and 

Industrial Management 

www.inegi.up.pt 

Celeste Pereira 

cpereira@inegi.up.pt 

+351 229 57 87 10 

 

 

 

 

 

Stress Analysis, Non‐destructive Testing and 

Durability. 

Process Simulation. 

Structural integrity analyses. 

Equipment and Product Development. 

Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Tooling. 

Tribology and Industrial Maintenance. 

Description 

INEGI – Institute for Mechanical Engineering 

and Industrial Management is a nonprofit and 

autonomous organization, financed by private 

and public funds. The Institute was founded in 

1986 and has developed links with institutions 

located in Portugal and European Union. 

INEGI has a long experience in R&D projects 

commissioned by private and state owed 

companies, public services and European 

programs (BRITE, COMETT, SPRINT, ESPRIT, 

GROWTH, FP6, FP7 and ESA). The projects 

covered areas as diverse as New Materials, 

Production Engineering, Thermal Energy, 

Structural Engineering and Management 

Sciences. 


INEGI has expertise in the following areas: 

Composite Materials Design and 

Manufacturing. NEGI’s has a long 

experience in composite materials design 

and manufacturing by using filament 

winding, pultrusion, autoclave, hot plates 

press, RTM, VARTM and Towpreg 

technologies. 

Testing of Materials and Products: Fire 

Reaction and Smoke Toxicity, Experimental 


Services 

INEGI is currently participating and leading 

several on‐going Projects related to advanced 

composites manufacturing and 

characterization: 

BOJO – Increase of Bolted Joint 

Performance 

ESA TRP Study, Project in collaboration with 

DLR, High Performance Space Structures and 

Systems (HPS), Kyser‐Threde, MT‐Technology, 

EADS‐CASA Espacio, Contraves, SABCA. 

The goal of this project was to develop 

advanced hybrid composite laminates to 

increase the efficiency of highly loaded CFRP 

bolted joints. 


NACO: Non Conventional matrix/Carbon 

Nanotubes Reinforced Composite for 

Applications in Space 

ESA GSTP Study in collaboration with HPS (DE), 

FutureCarbon (DE), ARC Seibersdorf (AT), PIEP 

(P), INEGI (PT), Universiy of Patras (GR) and 

Electrovac (AT). 

Ku-DGR: Dual-Gridded Carbon Fibre 

Reinforced Plastic Reflector ESA – ARTES 

5.1 Contract in collaboration with HPS 

(DE), INVENT (DE), NTP (DE), Nikon 

Metrology (DE), ASD (IT) and others. 

The main objective of this project is to develop 

a new reflector concept for telecommunication 

satellites with a CFRP rod based front and rear 

grid for Ku‐band applications. Key development 

is the manufacturing processes for the shaped 

rods. 

The main objective of this project was to 

develop and characterize carbon nanotube 

(CNT) based nanocomposites, by infiltrating 

nanotube skeletons with either an organic or 

inorganic matrix. Nano modified composite 

materials, especially CNT reinforced composite 

materials offer a high potential for successful 

applications in space. Some potential uses of 

these materials could be in manufacturing lightweight 

structures, laser transmitters and their 

components or even as part of laser diodes, 

with the purpose of acting as heat sinks. 


INOV INESC Inovação – Instituto de Novas 

Tecnologias (INOV) 

http://www.inov.pt/ 

Chaves, Paulo 

paulo.chaves@inov.pt 

+351 213 10 04 44 

Description 

INOV was founded in the course of a broad 

strategic restructuring started by INESC in 1998, 

which aimed to create new entities specializing 

in different areas of activity in order to be 

capable to respond in a more consistent way to 

current challenges of the market. 

During this process, INOV concentrated in its 

structure a significant share of the Electronics 

and Telecommunications Strategic Area of 

activity of INESC in Lisbon, inheriting wide 

recognition by the Business World of the 

technological merits of its remarkably 

professional environment – due to evidently 

successful results in the technology transfer 

servicing for existing or emerging companies. 

In this context, INOV positions itself in the 

market as the biggest national technological 

infrastructure in the field of the Information 

Technology, Electronics and Communications, 

as a successor of great assets arisen from 

extensive knowledge and experience implicitly 

provided by the maternal environment – INESC. 

INOV officially started its activities on January 

1, 2001, as a private non‐profit association. 

INOV provides an agile and flexible 

organisation, oriented to creating technological 

skills and establishing cooperation links with 

various economic entities (universities, 

industries, companies and Telecommunications 

Operators). For this purpose INOV intends to 

act as an intermediary between the University 

and the Industry, basing on the dedicated 

cooperation with the University in order to 

provide sustained, consistent and innovative 

solutions addressing the problems and 

challenges faced by our Partners. 

As a technology‐oriented partner, INOV has the 

vocation of assisting companies in the search 

for new business opportunities through the 

development of high‐added‐value, innovative 

technology solutions, crucial for 

implementation of comparative advantages 

that help to achieve high levels of 

competitiveness and, in this context, to 

participate actively in the socio‐economic 

development of the Nation. 

INOV can count presently with the 

collaboration of more than 100 researchers and 

engineers, from internationally renowned ones 

to a significant number of specialized in several 

technological areas. 

INOV portfolio of customers and partners 

includes, among many others: the Portuguese 

State; the Angolan State; the European 

Commission; several multinational companies; 

telecommunications operators; large 

Portuguese companies and several Portuguese 

and International SMEs. 

Mission 

The mission of INOV is to support the national 

economy, aiming to increasing its 

competitiveness through the examples of 

success and technological development in the 

areas of the Information Technology, 

Electronics and Communications, as well as via 

various activities in the field of technology 

transfer, expert advising and preparation and 

advanced training of the technical staff. 



The concentration of efforts and specific 

resources, in a structured, coherent and 

professional way, allowed INOV (while 

autonomous technological infrastructure) to 

focus almost exclusively on its central 

competences, organised in four strategic areas: 

 

 

 

Monitoring, Command & Control; 

Communications; 

Electronics ‐ Monitoring, Navigation and 

Control; 

Information and System Technologies. 

It is important to underline that INOV has 

strategically concentrated significant efforts in 

the area of Security and Defense technologies 

and has qualified people and installations with 

National, EU & NATO Security Certification. 

INOV has also a long historic record of projects 

and activities related with safety, security and 

defense. Over the years INOV has been 

involved in studies and projects with 

Portuguese Ministry of Internal Affairs, 

Portuguese Armed Forces, ESA, NATO, HARRIS, 

etc. and participated in a very wide range of 

R&D National and European funded projects. 


Services 

Due to its innovation and technological capacity 

and as a booster of the interactions and 

synergies between Universities/Industry, INOV 

mostly promotes and commercializes the 

development abilities and know‐how in the 

following technologically advanced areas and 

the capacity for integration of different 

technologies in an innovative way: 

Network Management and Safety; 

Telecom Equipment, Services and 

Architecture; 

Speech and Image Systems and 

Technologies; 

Positioning, Navigation and Fleet 

Management Systems; 

Remote Monitoring and Surveillance; 

Electronics, Telemetry and Domotics; 

Command and Control Systems; 

Information Technologies and 

Organizational Engineering. 

Developments in the area of electronics and 

the experience obtained enables INOV to be a 

major player and develop a variety of electronic 

systems, ranging from simple to complex, 

which correspond to diverse offers of the 

domestic and international markets. As an 

example: 

The is a multiplatform fiber channel 

interface, which provides high reliability, high 

bandwidth and low overhead data transfer 

solutions while maintaining a simple design and 

easy integration so contributing for the time‐tomarket 

goals by relieving the host system 

designer from concerning about the details of 

data flushing. The link provides two board 

formats, allowing a diversity of combinations 

between them, maximizing the flexibility and 

application spectrum. The uses some 

well known standard protocols such as PCI 

Express®, Aurora and S‐Link. 


Instituto de Meteorologia 

http://www.meteo.pt 

Pedro Viterbo 

pedro.viterbo@meteo.pt 

+351 218 44 70 36 

Description 

Instituto de Meteorologia (IM), is the 

Portuguese Meteorological Service and a State 

Laboratory within the Ministry of Science, 

Technology and Higher Education. The main 

roles of IM include operational and R&D 

activities related to weather surveillance and 

forecast, climate monitoring, and seismic watch 

IM has about 650 workers, including among 

others technical staff, forecasters, and 

researchers. 

To fulfill its operational commitments and R&D 

initiatives, IM makes extensive use of remotely 

sensed data, mostly obtained from 

meteorological satellites. The development of 

satellite applications is carried out in 

cooperation with national and international 

entities, including Universities, private 

companies and international organizations 

(EUMETSAT, ECMWF, ESA). 


surveillance and nowcasting, and monitoring of 

climate variability and climate change. 

Satellite Applications Facility on Land Surface 

Analysis (LSA SAF) operational service, including 

the generation, archiving and dissemination of 

a set of land surface variables and parameters, 

related to surface radiation budget, water 

balance at the surface, vegetation, and wild 

Fires. 

This service includes user support and user 

training (helpdesk, regular operational and 

validation reports, workshops, training courses, 

modules for e‐learning). Currently, there are 

more than 800 registered users in Europe, 

Africa, and North and South America. 


Services 

Land Surface Analysis SAF 

Since September 1999, IM has been the lead 

institution of the LSA SAF, an EUMETSAT 

funded consortium of 6 European 

organizations. Within this framework, IM leads 

a consortium which develops and maintains 

algorithms to retrieve land surface parameters 

(e.g., land surface temperature, albedo, 

downward fluxes, snow, wild fire and 

vegetation parameters, evapotranspiration) 

from remotely sensed data. The Land‐SAF 

makes use of two main satellite systems: the 

geostationary series, Meteosat Second 

Generation (MSG); and EUMETSAT Polar 

System (EPS). The operational generation, 

archiving and dissemination of all Land‐SAF 

parameters is also carried out at IM. 

Applications of meteorological satellites at IM 

include development of algorithms for land 

surface variables and parameters, weather 


Land Surface Temperature 

start in 2013‐2014. Within this framework, IM 

is expanding the development of algorithms 

and implementation of new services using 

satellites from non‐European agencies. 

Interfaces and applications to GMES 

atmosphere are also being established. The 

images below illustrate the first global service 

describing the diurnal cycle of aspects of the 

surface radiation budget. 

LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE 

Fraction of Vegetation Cover 

SURFACE GLOBAL RADIATION 

SURFACE LONGWAVE RADIATION 

GMES (Geoland-2) 

IM participated in the global part of the 

geoland‐2 FP7 Integrated Project, a follow‐on 

of activities in previous FP projects. This is the 

basis for IM´s involvement in the future Global 

Land Monitoring Core Service of GMES, due to 



Instituto de Telecomunicações 

http://www.it.pt 

Dr. Domingos Barbosa 

dbarbosa@av.it.pt 

+351 218 41 84 54 / 234 37 79 00 

Description 

Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) is a private, 

not‐for‐profit organization, of public interest, a 

partnership of universities and companies with 

research and development expertise in the field 

of Telecommunications, which was set up in 

1991. Current associated members are Instituto 

Superior Técnico, Universidade de Aveiro, 

Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da 

Universidade de Coimbra, Universidade da 

Beira Interior, Universidade do Porto, Instituto 

Universitário de Lisboa – ISCTE/IUL, Portugal 

Telecom Inovação and Nokia Siemens Networks 

S. A. IT has also partnership agreements with 

other Portuguese universities and polytechnics 

and it is organised around three main sites: 

Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisbon with delegations in 

Leiria, Covilhã, Lisbon and Oporto. 

IT’s mission is to create and disseminate 

scientific knowledge and foster higher 

education and training in the field of 

telecommunications and associated 

technologies. IT has more than 200 researchers 

with a PhD degree and hosts about 400 MSc 

and PhD students. In recognition of its 

achievements, IT was awarded the status of 

Associate Laboratory of the Portuguese 

Ministry for Science and Technology in 2001. 

Expertise at IT spans four main areas: wireless 

communications, optical communications, 

networks and multimedia, and basic sciences 

and enabling technologies, and all are backed 

by advanced, up‐to‐date laboratory facilities. 

Most of the research is performed in the 

framework of national and international R&D 

projects (about 150/year), involving companies 

in Telecom business (operators, equipment 

manufacturers, service providers, and final 

users) and other associated enabling 

technologies and science. 

IT has been very active in R&D in key 

telecommunication areas for space 

applications, even before the official 

partnership of Portugal with ESA. In wireless 

communications IT researchers at Aveiro and 

Lisbon have a strong record on antenna design 

and testing, millimetre‐wave, microwave and 

RF circuit design, as well as circuit and system 

analysis for studies of nonlinear impairments. 

Regarding optical communications, IT’s 

expertise includes ultra high capacity systems, 

optical devices (amplifiers, filters, routers), 

energy efficient sub‐systems and access 

networks. A number of projects in key space 

technology domains have been developed, 

including RF Payloads, Systems 

Electromagnetics Technology, Ground Station 

System & Networking, Optics & Opto‐ 

Electronics, Component Evaluation 

Technologies, Application Specific and 

Telecommunication Technologies. 



Services 

Antennas for Space and Aeronautical 

Applications 

Following the ILASH research project funded by 

ESA‐ESTEC, the team at Lisbon continued the 

work on shaped dielectric lenses for Earth 

Observation applications at millimeter‐waves, 

or for communication with high altitude 

platforms. The focus is on low cost reliable 

antenna solutions for high performance beam 

scanning. The labs are equipped for antenna 

measurements up to 110 GHz. Contact: Carlos 

Fernandes (Carlos.Fernandes@lx.it.pt) 

MPSat - Multi-Packet Detection 

Techniques for Satellite Networks 

MPSat considers future very high bit rate LEO 

(Low Earth Orbit) satellite systems with satellite 

MPR (multi‐packet reception), compatible with 

low‐cost portable GTs. We rely on a crosslayered 

approach with i) a physical layer design, 

including synchronization and MPR‐receiver 

development; and ii) a data link layer design, 

including Multiple Access Control protocols and 

scheduling algorithms to support different 

Quality of Service classes. Contact: Rui Dinis 

(rdinis@lx.it.pt) 

R&D for Space Radiometry and 

Radioastronomy 

IT is developing high performance components 

suitable for space prototyping. The GEM 

project developed cryocooled receivers for high 

sensitivity mapping of the Milky Ways’ radio 

emissions to serve space and sub‐orbital 

experiments of Cosmic Microwave Background 

and inter‐planetary missions with on‐board 

radio instruments that need calibration and 

foreground subtraction. The Moura SKA project 

developed phased arrays for space weather 

and planetary cintillation probing in radio from 

P‐L bands. Contact: Domingos Barbosa, 

(dbarbosa@av.it.pt) 

GaNSpace- GaN Technology in Space 

This project involves the design and 

construction of a GaN oscillator and a RF power 

measuring device for GaN technology 

monitoring. The project supported by ESA via 

EFACEC was recently accepted in the Alphasat – 

TDP 8 framework and will be launched for 

space in 2012 making it the first test of 

European Technology GaN semiconductors in 

space environments. Contact: Nuno Borges 

Carvalho (nbcarvalho@ua.pt) 

Fiber Optical Sensor Systems 

IT is developing sensors and interrogation 

systems based on fiber optic sensor systems. 

This technology may be critical for space 

applications due to their intrinsic advantages: 

insensitivity to electromagnetic interference, 

freedom from sparking electrostatic discharge, 

lightweight and flexible harness, flexibility for 

remote monitoring and multiplexing, high 

signal to noise ratio, and potential to embed in 

composite structures. Contact: Rogério Nogueira 

(rnogueira@av.it.pt) 

Network Coding for Integrated Satellite 

Networks 

Network Coding (NC) is used as a key building 

block in integration of next generation satellite 

networks with Future Internet terrestrial 

networks. NC provides benefits when 

implemented in either the network level, to 

simplify management of heterogeneous 

networks and of multiple, available routes (e.g., 

dual‐receiver terminals), or at the 

encapsulation level, to provide additional 

resiliency against packets losses. Contact: Daniel 

Lucani (dlucani@fe.up.pt) 


space, taking advantage of over 20 years of 

experience in research on the physics of 

plasmas. 

Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear 

http://www.ipfn.ist.utl.pt 

Mário Lino da Silva 

mlinodasilva@ist.utl.pt 

+351 218 41 93 28 

Description 

Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear (IPFN), is a 

research unit of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) 

started in January 2008, after the merging of 

the former Centro de Fusão Nuclear (CFN), and 

Centro de Física de Plasmas (CFP). The specific 

missions of IPFN‐LA, described in its Contract of 

Associated Laboratory can be summarized as 

follows: 

Technical support to the Portuguese 

participation in the European Fusion 

Programmes 

Collaboration with the European Space Agency 

(ESA) in the study of the space and entry 

plasmas, and in the study of special relativity. 

Participation in the European projects on new 

plasma accelerators, and development of ultrashort, 

ultra‐intense lasers. 

Participation in the European projects in the 

scope of plasma discharges and gaseous 

electronics technologies. 

Since 2001, ESA has been a regular customer 

for the services provided by IPFN, which 

include: 

• Aerothermodynamics and re‐entry 

technologies, including plasma kinetics and 

radiation. Numerical modelling in large‐scale 

computers and Experimental reproduction of 

entry plasmas in the new European Shock‐Tube 

for High Enthalpy Research (ESTHER) for 

support to the sizing of thermal protections in 

ESA missions. Development of reflectrometry 

diagnostics for the determination of plasma 

densities in atmospheric entry configurations. 

• Spacecraft thermal analysis, force balances 

and influence in interplanetary trajectories. 

• Fundamental Physics in Space. Gravitational 

map of the Solar System, scale dependent 

gravity, description of dark matter and dark 

energy. 

• Laser Propulsion and Electric Propulsion 

Technologies (Hall Thrusters). Electrostatic 

Systems & New Concepts (Artificial 

magnetospheres for propulsion and Space Crew 

protection). 

• Optics and Optoelectronics, Laser Ranging 

and Imaging including Altimeters and Lidar 

Systems. 


IPFN space‐related research covers a broad 

range of multi‐disciplinary topics related to 



Services 

Entry Plasmas Simulation 

Simplicity, fully analytical computation, 

straightforward sensitivity analysis, geometrical 

and material modelling, reflections using 

analytical method. 

Application: Pioneer anomaly 

IPFN routinely carries radiative heating 

predictions for atmospheric entry spacecrafts, 

departing from supplied hydrodynamic 

flowfields. The radiative fields are calculated 

using the SPARTAN code and an associated 

radiative transfer code in a 8 processor, 

multicore machine, with the application of 

parallelized radiative routines, using a raytracing 

method. 

European Shock-Tube Facility for High 

Enthalpy Research 

IPFN is developing the first space research 

facility in Portugal, a Kinetic shock‐tube which 

will be able to reproduce the conditions of 

spacecraft entries at velocities in excess of 

10km/s. This facility funded under 1M€ 

contract from ESA, will support the agency 

upcoming planetary exploration missions. 

The thermal heat fluxes withstood by the Mars 

entry of the ESA EXOMARS spacecraft have 

been recently predicted using this method. 

Spacecraft thermal Modelling 


Institute for Systems and Robotics at IST 

http://www.isr.ist.utl.pt 

Prof. Victor Barroso, Director 

vab@isr.ist.utl.pt 

+351 218 41 82 89 

Description 

The Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR) is 

one of the units of the Associate Laboratory of 

Robotics and Systems in Engineering and 

Science (LaRSyS), since May 2011. It is located 

at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Technical 

University of Lisbon. 

The institute has a large infrastructure of 

computers and robots of different kinds 

(indoor, outdoor, aerial, sea and land, allterrain, 

humanoids), most of them networked 

with other sensors and actuators. 

ISR‐IST members include about 40 PhD IST 

faculty (full‐time professors or researchers) and 

a large number of Master and Doctoral 

students. 

Applications include 

Autonomous Ocean robots 

Search and Rescue robots 

Mobile Communications 

Multimedia Systems 

Robot (including satellite) Formations 

Robotic Assistants 

Networked Robot Systems 


ISR‐IST research topics include 

Robotics 

Systems and Control Theory 

Signal Processing 

Computer Vision 

Optimization and Operations Research 

Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems 

Biomedical Engineering. 



Services 

The research areas at ISR‐IST are supported by 

fundamental and applied research. 

Marine science applications have been a strong 

research drive, and over the years ISR‐IST has 

built several autonomous sea vehicles, 

including two autonomous catamarans and one 

small submarine, as well as a 12ton fully 

autonomous, long range, oceanographic vessel. 

an EUCLID project on high‐resolution remote 

observation by interferometry. 

In another EU‐Project (ROBOTCUB), our team 

was involved in the development of the most 

sophisticated humanoid robotic platform 

available worldwide, as well as in the 

investigation of vision and learning algorithms 

for motion coordination, control and human 

robot interaction. 

Computer and Robot Vision is one of the key 

enabling technologies to which ISR‐IST has 

devoted a special effort, with applications 

ranging from mapping and visual 

reconstruction to navigation and visual 

tracking, often associating vision with other 

sensors, such as laser range‐finders. 

Mobile land autonomous vehicles are another 

major area of interest, concerning both 

individual and multi‐robot systems, with 

activities including the design of autonomous 

robots for surveillance, search and rescue, 

networked mobile and static sensors, and 

soccer‐playing robots. 

Several EU projects have been developed in the 

area of ocean robotics including the design of 

autonomous vehicles for the exploration of the 

ocean, or the cooperative operation of 

underwater vehicles and human divers. Other 

projects include the development of aerial 

autonomous vehicles (e.g. helicopters) to map 

and observe the coastline or infrastructures. 

Research in Signal processing ranges from 

large‐scale sensor networks to underwater 

communication systems, video analysis and 

mobile communications. 

This research has been developed in the scope 

of national and large international projects, 

namely funded by the European Union. ISR‐IST 

coordinated an ESA project on spacecraft 

formations guidance, navigation and control 

and in other space‐related projects, including 

ISR‐IST has spun‐off 6 technological SMEs since 

2001, in areas such as Robotics, Surveillance, 

and 3D Mapping and Navigation. 


LIP- Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física 

Experimental de Partículas 

http://www.lip.pt 

Patrícia Gonçalves 

patricia@lip.pt 

+351 217 99 50 39 

Description 

LIP is a scientific and technical association of 

public utility that has for goal the research in 

the fields of Experimental High Energy Physics 

and Associated Instrumentation. LIP's research 

domains have grown to encompass 

Experimental High Energy Physics and 

Astroparticle Physics, radiation detection 

instrumentation, data acquisition and data 

processing, advanced computing and 

applications to other fields, in particular 

Medical Physics and Space Applications. LIP is 

an "associated laboratory" assessed as 

"Excellent" in three successive evaluations by 

international panels. In its two laboratories in 

Coimbra and Lisbon, LIP has about 170 people, 

out of which 70 hold a PhD degree, and many 

are professors at the local universities. LIP 

shares equipment and resources with a large 

number of research groups and institutions, 

both national and international. Being mainly 

involved with very large international 

collaborations and working in facilities in 

Europe and elsewhere (CERN, AUGER, ESA, 

NASA, SNOLAB, GSI), LIP contributes with its 

own resources, technical and scientific, to the 

purpose of the common programs. Technical 

LIP infrastructures, like the precision mechanics 

workshops in Coimbra are open to the needs of 

the Portuguese and international scientific 

community. The laboratory of electronics for 

Cosmic Rays, e-CRLab, located in Lisbon, gives 

support to LIP groups developing activities in 

cosmic rays experiments, namely in the Pierre 

Auger Observatory and in the framework of 

Space applications. The LIP Computing Centre 

supports the Portuguese GRID infrastructure. In 

the area of Medical Physics, LIP works with 

research centres, hospitals and the private 

sector, through a shared research facility – the 

Tagus LIP Laboratory for medical physics. 


Space sector related activities at LIP were 

initiated in 2003. Since then, LIP celebrated 

several contracts with ESA in the field of 

Radiation Environment in Space. 

Space Radiation Environment 

• Understand emission and propagation 

mechanisms of Solar Energetic Particle 

Events towards forecasting models and 

tools. 

• Radiation environment simulations using 

the Geant4 simulation toolkit: in space, inorbit 

and on planetary atmospheres and 

surfaces, and underground. 

• Radiation shielding studies and simulations. 

Radiation Effects 

• Effects in EEE components: study and 

modelling of EEE components degradation 


due to space radiation environment, EEE 

component testing (ground/space), 

Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA). 

• Effects in human spaceflight: study and 

simulation of radiation environment in 

manned missions (eg. to Mars), prediction 

of radiation hazards for human spaceflight 

and study of mitigation strategies. 

Radiation Monitors 

• Detector design and optimisation through 

dedicated simulation of detector response 

to the radiation environment populations 

for mission specific cases. 

• Analysis of real data. 

Participation in DUAL 

• DUAL consortium submitted a gamma-ray 

space telescope mission proposal to the M- 

Class ESA Cosmic Vision call (launch 2022). 

DUAL was named upon mission dual 

concept featuring an all-sky Compton 

camera and a focusing Laue Lens. LIP- 

Coimbra in collaboration with the IASF 

(Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica 

Cósmica), Bologna, are developing a Laue 

lens focal plane based on CdZnTe. 

CODES: Component Degradation 

Simulation tool 

CODES is an open source modular tool, freely 

available to the engineering community via an 

user friendly web based interface framework. 

CODES enables SEE (Single Event Effect) rate 

prediction based on the simulation of 

microdosimetry at device sensitive volume, 

reconstruction of device sensitivity and 

convolution of degradation mechanisms with 

the real in-flight environment conditions. 

CODES is suitable as an engineering tool in 

support of RHA. 

RADFET testing for the CTTB 


Services 

Mars Energetic Radiation Model 

LIP developed dMEREM, a Geant4 detailed 

Mars Radiation Environment Model for the 

radiation environment on Mars, Phobos and 

Deimos, in the framework of the MarsREM: 

Martian Radiation Environment Models 

contract, between ESA and an international 

consortium. dMEREM was interfaced with 

SPENVIS, the Space Environment Information 

System, where it is available to the community 

(http://www.spenvis.oma.be). 

LIP is collaborating with EFACEC in the contract 

Alphasat Radiation Environment and Effects 

Facility ( AEEF) Component Technology Test- 

Bed (CTTB) , Preparation of In-Flight Data 

Analysis. LIP is responsible for testing and 

calibrating the RADFETs to be used for 

determining dose levels incurred by the CTTB 

experiment while in space. LIP is also 

responsible for analysing ground data of EEE 

components to be included in the CTTB 

configuration. 


UNINOVA‐CA3 

Institute for Development of New Technologies – 

Computational Intelligence Research Group 

http://www.ca3‐uninova.org 

Rita Almeida Ribeiro (CA3 Coordinator) 

rar@uninova.pt 

+351 212 94 96 25 

Description 

Multi‐Criteria Decision Making 

Fuzzy Inference Systems (FIS) 

Monitoring & Diagnostic Systems 

New Modelling Techniques in Ergonomics 

Visualization and Image Processing 

Intelligent Sensorial Information Systems 


Services 

Gaia - Portuguese Participation on DPAC 

The Computational Intelligence Research Group 

(CA3) was formed in 1996 and in 2000 it was 

integrated in the Centre of Technologies and 

Systems (CTS) of Uninova. 

The CA3 group joins together researchers with 

interests in the areas of Computational 

Intelligence, Data Mining & Machine Learning, 

Visualization & Image Processing and 

Ergonomics. Our main focus, besides 

theoretical research, is on the application of 

the research topics to projects in industry and 

services, with special emphasis in the Space 

domain (European Space Agency). 

After Portugal joined ESA, our group has since 

gone to develop over 15 projects for the 

various establishments (ESAC, ESOC, ESRIN and 

ESTEC), as well as being involved in several 

projects for the European Union and multiple 

projects for national entities, which have lead 

to the submission of 2 patents. 


The objective of the DPAC (Data Processing 

Consortium) is to prepare the data analysis 

mechanisms for future telemetry from Gaia. 

Specifically UNINOVA‐CA3 is providing 

expertise for knowledge discovery 

(unsupervised algorithms) for variable objects 

and implementation of bias estimation 

algorithms. 

SEISOP - Space Environment Information 

System for Operations 

Operational Space Weather Data Centre to be 

located at ESOC and ESAC. It is a Decision 

Support System that provides monitoring and 

reporting services to spacecraft operations. 

Integrates Space Weather information, S/C 

orbital positions and Telemetry data. This is a 

follow‐up of two past projects (SEIS/SESS). 

The CA3 activities have a strong main research 

scientific focus within a Computational 

Intelligence domain as well as the necessary 

expertise in supporting software development 

technologies. 


LuLaB - Lunar Lander Phase-B1 

COSIS - Coimbra Observatory: Solar 

Information System 

LuLaB is aiming to consolidate the first 

European Lunar Lander mission and spacecraft 

design. This mission will demonstrate 

exploration of key technologies required for the 

autonomous, soft and precision landing with 

hazard detection and avoidance. 

CERTAIN - CryoSat Event Reporting Tool for 

Analysis and Investigation 

Flexible reporting tool to provide the CryoSat 

/GOCE Flight Control Teams with status 

summary reports for the mission sent via email 

or SMS, describing events and the S/C status 

during non‐manned periods. Alarms based on 

user‐defined rules and report templates. 

Development of a web‐based software tool for 

image feature recognition of sunspots (K1). 

IPSIS - Intelligent Planetary Site Selection 

Intelligent dynamic and adaptable multi‐criteria 

decision model for planetary landing of 

spacecraft. Development of a hybrid 

metaheuristic involving Particle Swarm 

optimization and Tabu Search for nonexhaustive 

realtime site selection during 

landing. 

SIMORG - Swarm Intelligence Modeling of 

Root Growth 

EO-KES – Earth Observation domainspecific 

Knowledge Enabled Services 

Information system with an ontology to provide 

EO Knowledge Enabled Services through 

powerful, customized, and adaptive search 

capabilities. 

MODI - Fuzzy Monitoring and Diagnosis for 

Mars Lander 

Developed for the Advanced Concepts Team at 

ESTEC, it involved researching path planning 

strategies for robotic planetary exploration 

inspired by swarm behaviour of plant root 

growth. 

KD-LADS - Knowledge Discovery in Large 

Data Sets 

Prototype for intelligent monitoring of the drill 

device for the ExoMars Rover also capable of 

recognizing Mars terrain hardness. 

Development of a general Knowledge Discovery 

(KD) tool for handling Large Data Sets, to 

support scientific exploratory data analysis, 

during and after any mission. 


Universidade Porto 

Uninova 

LIP 

ISR 

IPFN 

IT 

INOV 

INEGI 

FCUL LOLS 

CCTAE-IST 

Zeugma TSI 

Thales Portugal 

TEKEVER 

SpinWorks 

Omnidea Lda. 

Novabase 

Lusospace 

KEMET 

ISQ 

Indra Portugal 

HPS Portugal 

GMV Skysoft 

Fibersensing 

Evoleo 

Efacec 

Edisoft 

Deimos Engenharia 


Amorim 

ActiveSpace 

PT Tech . Int. (*) 

ESA Technology Tree 2.1 

TECHNOLOGY SUBDOMAIN 


TECHNOLOGY DOMAIN 

1. On-Board Data Systems 

A. Payload Data Processing ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

2. Space System Software 

● ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

B. On Board Data 

Management 

C. Microelectronics for digital 

and analogue applications 

[*] Portuguese Space Technology Intensity scale (empty subdomains are not shown). 1-2 2-4 5-8 9-12 

● ● ● ● ● ● 

A. Advanced Software 

technologies 

B. Space Segment Software ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

3. Spacecraft Electrical Power 

C. Ground Segment Software ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

D. Ground Data Processing ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

E. Earth Observation Payload 

Data Exploitation 

A. Power system architecture ● ● ● 

B. Power generation 

technologies 

● ● 

C. Energy storage 

technologies 

● ● 

D. Power conditioning and 

distribution 

● ● ● ● ● 

4. Spacecraft Environment & 

Effects 

A. Space Environment ● ● ● ● ● 

B. Environment effects ● ● ● ● ● 

C. Space Weather ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 



Uninova 

LIP 

ISR 

IPFN 

IT 

INOV 

INEGI 

FCUL LOLS 

CCTAE-IST 

Zeugma TSI 


TEKEVER 

SpinWorks 

Omnidea Lda. 

Novabase 

Lusospace 

KEMET 

ISQ 


HPS Portugal 

GMV Skysoft 

Fibersensing 

Evoleo 

Efacec 

Edisoft 



Amorim 







● ● ● ● ● ● 

A. Space system architecture 

and autonomy 

5. Space System Control 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

B. Space segment Guidance 

Navigation and Control (GNC) 

● ● ● ● ● 

A. Telecommunication (sub-) 

Systems 

● ● ● ● 

B. Radio Navigation (sub-) 

Systems 

6. RF Payload and Systems 

C. TT&C (sub-)Systems ● ● 

D. RF Payloads ● ● ● 

● ● ● 

E. Microwave and mm wave 

technologies and equipment 


A. Antennas ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

7. Electromagnetic Technologies 

and Techniques 

● ● 

B. Wave Interaction and 

Propagation 

C. EMC/RFC/ESD ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● 

A. Mission and System 

Specification 

● ● ● ● ● 

8. System Design & verification 

B. Collaborative and 

Concurrent Engineering 

C. System Analysis and Design ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

D. Verification and AIT ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● 

A. Advanced System 

Concepts 

9. Mission Operation and Ground 

Data systems 



Uninova 

LIP 

ISR 

IPFN 

IT 

INOV 

INEGI 

FCUL LOLS 

CCTAE-IST 

Zeugma TSI 


TEKEVER 

SpinWorks 

Omnidea Lda. 

Novabase 

Lusospace 

KEMET 

ISQ 


HPS Portugal 

GMV Skysoft 

Fibersensing 

Evoleo 

Efacec 

Edisoft 



Amorim 







B. Mission Operations ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

C. Ground Data Systems 

(MCS) 

A. Flight Dynamics ● ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

B. GNSS systems and groundrelated 

technologies 

A. Measurements ● 

● 

B. Modelling, Databases and 

Risk Analysis 


A. Ground Station System ● ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● 

10. Flight Dynamics and GNSS 

B. Ground Communications 

Networks 

11. Space Debris 

A. Applications and Concepts ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

12. Ground Station System and 

Networks 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

B. Automation & Robotics 

Systems 

C. Automation & Robotics 

components and 

Technologies 

13. Automation, Telepresence & 

Robotics 

● ● ● ● 

A. Instrumentation in support 

of Life Sciences 

14. Life & Physical Sciences 

● ● ● ● 

● ● 

● ● ● 

B. Instrumentation in support 

of Physical Sciences 

C. Applied Life Science 

Technology 

D. Applied physical Science 

Technology 



Uninova 

LIP 

ISR 

IPFN 

IT 

INOV 

INEGI 

FCUL LOLS 

CCTAE-IST 

Zeugma TSI 


TEKEVER 

SpinWorks 

Omnidea Lda. 

Novabase 

Lusospace 

KEMET 

ISQ 


HPS Portugal 

GMV Skysoft 

Fibersensing 

Evoleo 

Efacec 

Edisoft 



Amorim 





● 

A. Mechanism core 

technologies 

● ● 



● 

● ● ● 

B. Non explosive release 

technologies 

C. Exploration tool 

technologies 

D. Control electronics 

technologies 

E. MEMS technologies ● ● 


15. Mechanisms & Tribology 

G. Mechanism engineering ● ● ● ● 

16. Optics 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

A. Optical system engineering 

B. Optical component 

● ● ● ● 

technology and materials 

C. Optical equipment and 

● ● ● ● ● 

instrument technology 

A. Laser Technologies ● ● ● ● 

B. Detector Technologies ● ● ● ● 

C. Photonics ● ● ● 

A. Computational Tools ● ● 

B. Ground Based Facilities ● 

17. Optoelectronics 

C. Flight Testing ● 

18. Aerothermodynamics 

D. Multi-Disciplinary Tools ● ● 



Uninova 

LIP 

ISR 

IPFN 

IT 

INOV 

INEGI 

FCUL LOLS 

CCTAE-IST 

Zeugma TSI 


TEKEVER 

SpinWorks 

Omnidea Lda. 

Novabase 

Lusospace 

KEMET 

ISQ 


HPS Portugal 

GMV Skysoft 

Fibersensing 

Evoleo 

Efacec 

Edisoft 



Amorim 





● ● 

A. Chemical Propulsion 

Technologies 

● ● ● 



B. Electric Propulsion 

Technologies 


19. Propulsion 

C. Advanced Propulsion ● 

20. Structures & Pyrotechnics 

● ● 

D. Supporting Propulsion 

Technologies and Tools 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

A. Structural design and 

verification methods and 

tools 

● ● 

● ● 

B. High stability and high 

precision S/C structures 

C. Inflatable and deployable 

structures 

D. Hot structures ● ● ● ● ● 

E. Active/adaptive structures ● ● ● 

F. Damage tolerance and 

● ● ● ● 

health monitoring 

G. Launchers, re-entry 

● ● ● 

vehicles, planetary vehicles 

I. Meteoroid and Debris 

● 

shield design and analysis 

J. Advanced structural 

● ● ● ● ● ● 

concepts and materials 

● 

A. Heat Transport Technology 

● ● 

21. Thermal 

B. Cryogenics and 

Refrigeration 



Uninova 

LIP 

ISR 

IPFN 

IT 

INOV 

INEGI 

FCUL LOLS 

CCTAE-IST 

Zeugma TSI 


TEKEVER 

SpinWorks 

Omnidea Lda. 

Novabase 

Lusospace 

KEMET 

ISQ 


HPS Portugal 

GMV Skysoft 

Fibersensing 

Evoleo 

Efacec 

Edisoft 



Amorim 







C. Thermal Protection ● ● ● ● ● ● 

D. Heat Storage and Rejection ● ● 

21. Thermal 

E. Thermal Analysis Tools ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

● 

B. In-Situ Resource Utilization 

(ISRU 

22. Environmental Control Life 

Support (ECLS) and In-Situ 

Resource Utilization (ISRU) 

● ● ● 

A. Methods and Processes for 

Radiation Hardness 

Assurance 

23. EEE Components and quality 

● ● ● ● 

B. EEE Component 

technologies 

A. Novel Materials ● ● ● ● ● 

B. Materials Processes ● ● ● ● ● ● 

24. Materials & Processes 

● 

C. Cleanliness and 

Sterilization 

● ● ● ● ● ● ● 

A. System Dependability and 

Safety 

B. Software Quality ● ● ● ● ● 

25. Quality, Dependability and 

Safety 

This table was adapted from ESA Technology Tree, version 2.1, as presented in ESA’s “European Technology Master Plan 2010”. The technology map is based on information 

provided by the corresponding entities. It was not subjected to any independent validation either by ESA or FCT. 



Portuguese Space Catalog 2011 

1 st Edition, June 2011 

Copyright © Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. 

Cover design and artwork: 

Bruno Monteiro 

Editing: 

Teresa Brás 

Supervision and technical review: 

Mário Amaral

Portuguese Space Catalogue 2011 - Site

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