The announcement was made on Saturday during the State-visit of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo da Sousa to China to mark 40 years of bi-lateral relations.
In a statement to the Portuguese news agency Lusa, the CEO of the Portuguese aerospace company Tekever, Ricardo Mendes said that: “Chinese involvement in the satellite ‘Infante’ will encompass its launch and the development of some sensors.”
Chinese collaboration in the construction and launch of the earth observation satellite is part of a wider project called STARlab resulting from a partnership between Portuguese and Chinese public and private entities.
Tekever is the lead company heading the consortium of companies and universities behind the development of the ‘Infante’ satellite which will collect maritime data from the Earth’s surface and will cost around €10 million — co-financed by European funds.
If all goes well, it could be the forerunner of a number of new satellites to be built in Portugal.
In October, the institute Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade (ISQ), which is part of the consortium that built the satellite, announced that the ‘Infante’ would be the precursor of other satellites to be launched by 2025 and focusing on maritime applications.

Read the full article in Essential Business