Open Cosmos chooses Porto for strategic expansion - British space company plans to double its Portuguese workforce to around 100 employees.

Open Cosmos is expanding its presence in Portugal with the opening of a new office in Porto, as the British space company plans to double its Portuguese workforce to around 100 employees. The company is currently recruiting for 50 positions.

The new Porto office, located at the Hipercentro Areosa business park, marks the latest step in Open Cosmos’ expansion in Portugal, where the company has been operating since 2022.

The 50 planned hires will strengthen Open Cosmos’ Portuguese operations across its two locations: Coimbra, where the company has a presence at the Instituto Pedro Nunes, and the newly opened Porto office.

The company is seeking a range of technical and business profiles, including systems engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT), satellite design, business development and mission concept development.

The expansion in Porto comes as Open Cosmos continues to build its industrial and technological presence in Portugal. The company is preparing for satellite production in Coimbra and has set out wider ambitions for the country, including the launch of three Portuguese satellites and an investment of up to €50 million over three years

Open Cosmos Atlantic, the company’s Portuguese subsidiary, was also selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the study and subsequent development of a European Earth observation satellite for civil and defence applications.

The initial contract is worth €750,000 and could develop into a mission valued at €25 million should the ESA proceed to the implementation phase later this year. If approved, it would be the first ESA mission led by a Portuguese entity and operated from Portugal, with most of the supply chain expected to be sourced domestically. The satellite is scheduled for launch by the end of 2028.

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