It marks a structural shift in how the country positions itself in the global economy. By becoming the 60th signatory of this international cooperation framework led by the United States, Portugal takes an active role in building the new space economy, one of the sectors that is most rapidly transforming geopolitics, technology, and global industry.

Space is no longer a territory reserved for science and symbolic exploration. It has become a critical infrastructure of the modern economy. Satellites support global communications, financial systems, supply chains, climate management, Earth observation, defence, artificial intelligence, and virtually every digital architecture that underpins the functioning of economies. By joining the Artemis Agreements, Portugal commits itself to fundamental principles for this new cycle: peaceful exploration, transparency, interoperability, responsible use of resources, sharing of scientific data and multilateral cooperation. These principles are not just ethical or political. They are economical. They build trust, reduce risk, and attract investment.

The signing comes at a particularly favourable time for the country. Portugal has increased its contribution to the European Space Agency by 51%, strengthened its national space agency and has been consolidating an emerging ecosystem of companies, research centers and international projects linked to the space sector. At the same time, it positions itself as a strategic partner of the United States and NASA in a field that will be decisive for the future competitiveness of nations.

The space economy already represents hundreds of billions of euros and is growing at a faster rate than many traditional sectors. Its impact extends from energy to telecommunications, from precision agriculture to advanced industry, from mobility to security. Every euro invested in the space program generates multiples of return in innovation, highly qualified employment, and technological development. For a country like Portugal, this is a rare opportunity to accelerate the transition to a more sophisticated, productive, and resilient economy.

In an international context marked by geopolitical instability and intense technological competition, the countries that today build capacity in the space sector are, in practice, ensuring strategic advantage for the coming decades. With this decision, Portugal shows a long-term vision and ambition. It does not limit itself to observing the global transformation. He actively participates in it.

The new world economy is no longer built only in factories, ports, or financial centres. It is also built in orbit, in data, in technology and in knowledge. By signing the Artemis Accords, Portugal secures its place in that future and sends a simple and powerful message to the world: it wants to be a protagonist in humanity's next economic frontier.