The Aeros MH-1 nanosatellite, co-financed by COMPETE 2020, was honoured as Mission of the Year at the 2024 Small Satellites Conference in the United States.
The Aeros MH-1 nanosatellite, co-financed by COMPETE 2020, was honoured as Mission of the Year at the 2024 Small Satellites Conference in the United States.
The Aeros MH-1 nanosatellite, co-financed by COMPETE 2020, was honoured as Mission of the Year at the Small Satellites Conference 2024 in the United States.
Launch and Objectives
Launched on 4 March, Aeros MH-1 is already in orbit at an altitude of 510 kilometres, slightly above the International Space Station. This small satellite, which weighs just 4.5 kilos, will observe the Atlantic Ocean for three years, providing valuable data for scientific studies.
International Recognition
The prize was awarded during the conference held from 3 to 8 August in Logan, Utah. MIT, the project’s partner through the MIT-Portugal cooperation programme, was also involved in this mission.
Communication and first images
After being sent into space, MH-1 established communications with Earth on 19 March via the Santa Maria teleport in the Azores, operated by Thales Edisoft Portugal. On 2 July, the first images captured by the satellite were released.
Homage and National Consortium
This project is a tribute to Manuel Heitor, former Minister of Science, whose name inspired the designation MH-1. The satellite is the second of Portuguese origin to be sent into space, following in the footsteps of PoSAT-1, launched in 1993.
The national consortium that developed Aeros MH-1 includes several Portuguese companies and academic institutions, with CEiiA in Matosinhos responsible for building the satellite and processing the data. The universities of Algarve, Porto and Minho, the Instituto Superior Técnico and Imar – Instituto do Mar, among others, provide scientific support for the mission.
Co-financing by COMPETE 2020
With a total investment of 2.78 million euros, the project was co-financed to the tune of 1.88 million euros by COMPETE 2020, under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This support was crucial to the success of the project and the realisation of this innovative mission.
Find out more about this project in the news item: AEROS Constellation: Sinergias entre espaço e oceano.
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