Abreu leads EU spaceport consortium
Abreu Advogados and the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) have officially kicked off work on an international consortium awarded a European Commission contract to develop a coordination and support action reviewing regulatory practices and guidelines applicable to access to space. The launch meeting took place in Lisbon at Abreu Advogados’ offices.
The initiative, promoted by the Alliance for European Autonomous Access to Space (AEAAS) under the banner “From EU Soil to Outer Space: Regulation as an enabler for Spaceports,” seeks to help build a clearer, more efficient and competitive European regulatory framework to strengthen access to space through launch centres, states Abreu.
The project will examine more than 40 jurisdictions worldwide against roughly 30 regulatory criteria, aiming to identify best practices, standards and guidelines that could support the European Union in reinforcing its space autonomy. The output will be a regulatory proposal intended as a direct contribution to the forthcoming EU Space Act.
The project will map, assess and compare international practices and regulations based on key performance indicators centred on safety, sustainability, interoperability and the protection of critical infrastructure and operations, according to Abreu.
Consortium composition
The AEAAS consortium brings together 14 organisations from six jurisdictions, including spaceport operators, launch service providers, consultancy and brokerage firms, legal specialists and entities with direct experience in the space sector. National space agencies are also involved as associated partners. Alongside Abreu Advogados and ASC, the consortium includes Alpha Impulsion and ASTech Paris and Borie Conseils Export (France), Commercial Space Technologies and Reflect Solutions (United Kingdom), Heuking and HyImpulse Technologies and Isar Aerospace (Germany), Impulso Space (Italy) and Steller Kinetics (New Zealand). The Portuguese Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have also joined as associated partners.
Expert commentary
João Lupi, co-coordinator of Abreu Advogados’ Space and Satellites team, said “coordinating a consortium of 14 operators across the entire space-access value chain from six jurisdictions represents a milestone for the firm and for Portugal”, adding that “European autonomy in space access requires not only infrastructure and technology but a harmonised and competitive regulatory framework that promotes interoperability, resilience and coordination”. He added that the consortium aims to develop a regulatory proposal that positions Europe as a reference point for safe, sustainable and interoperable launch operations, contributing to the development of a genuine spaceport economy.
Bruno Carvalho, director of the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, said “Europe understands the challenges ahead and, through initiatives such as this one, the EU is moving to secure sustainable and competitive access to space for itself and its allies. He noted that ASC is working to make its spaceport viable and views its contribution as central to the EU’s ambitions, while acknowledging that this cannot be achieved alone, thanking the consortium’s partners for their trust”.
The geographic and technical diversity of the consortium is expected to bring in input from industry specialists, operators, regulators and partners outside the EU, including entities with experience in more mature and commercially oriented launch markets. This is intended to give the EU a comparative and practical view on how to regulate, develop and operate infrastructure essential to autonomous access to space, with the ultimate goal of supporting Europe in setting harmonised, predictable and effective rules capable of encouraging innovation, attracting investment and strengthening its position in an increasingly competitive and strategic sector, states the law firm.
