PoSAT-1

PoSAT-1, the first Portuguese satellite, was launched into orbit on 26 September 1993, on the 59th flight of the Ariane 40 launch vehicle. The launch took place in the Centre Spatial Guyanais, French Guiana. About 20 minutes and 35 seconds after launch, at an altitude of 807 km, PoSAT-1 separated itself from the launch vehicle.

The PoSAT-1 weighs about 50 kg and belongs to the class of microsatellites, which are between 10 and 100 kg. The entire project was developed by a consortium of universities and companies in Portugal and was built at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom. The total cost was around €5 million, about €3 million paid by the Portuguese Government and €2 million by the Portuguese companies involved (Po-SAT consortium: Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação (INETI), EFACEC, ALCATEL, Marconi Company, OGMA, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Beira Interior (UBI) and CEDINTEC). The responsible for the project was Fernando Carvalho Rodrigues, known as the father of the first Portuguese satellite.