en.Wedoany.com Reported - Portugal's space industry contributed approximately €1.2 billion to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the study period from 2019 to 2024, supporting an average of 4,500 jobs annually and generating around €290 million in tax revenue. These figures come from a study conducted by the French consulting firm Novaspace for the Portuguese Space Agency (Agência Espacial Portuguesa).
The analysis shows that for every €1 invested in the space industry, a total economic impact of €2.17 is ultimately generated for the national economy. This means that funds continuously circulate through wages, suppliers, consumption, and other sectors, producing an economic multiplier effect comparable to traditional fields such as agriculture or construction.
Over the six years analyzed, space activities generated approximately €2.4 billion in economic output, accounting for about 0.1% of Portugal's GDP. Despite these significant results, Novaspace and the Portuguese Space Agency emphasize that these figures do not reflect the full impact of the industry. They exclude indirect benefits from the use of space technologies, such as satellite navigation systems, Earth observation applied to agriculture, logistics, and land management, as well as technology transfers to sectors like the automotive industry. The study also highlights the scientific, strategic, and reputational contributions of space activities, which enhance Portugal's international standing, attract talent, and support national sovereignty.
Although Portugal's earliest space enterprises emerged in the 1990s, growth has accelerated significantly in recent years. Portugal's accession to the European Space Agency (ESA) paved the way for industrial development, but the true driver of the new expansion phase was the Portugal Espaço 2030 strategy, formulated in 2018, and the establishment of the Portuguese Space Agency in 2019. Since then, the rate of company creation has more than doubled.
In 2024, the national space ecosystem comprised over 150 entities, including more than 80 companies, primarily concentrated in the Lisbon, Coimbra, and Porto regions. Most are small and medium-sized enterprises, although 14 of them account for 76% of the industry's revenue. The study also looks to the future and identifies five areas with the greatest growth potential by 2040: in-orbit satellite servicing, space debris removal, manufacturing in microgravity environments (including pharmaceuticals), and strengthening defense and security sectors.
