Vila do Porto, Azores, Portugal, Aug. 17, 2026 (Lusa) - The Left Bloc Party in Portugal's Azores region on Monday demanded clarification from the Regional Government regarding the launch of «small rockets» at Malbusca, on the island of Santa Maria, highlighting the «lack of timely information provided to the public» and the «legal framework governing the operations».
In a statement, the Bloc said it had tabled a motion in the regional assembly questioning the regional government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) about the operation announced by the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) on social media «just two days before the start of the launch window».
«The party questions the lack of timely information provided to the public, the nature and legal framework of the operations, as well as the safety conditions and the resulting environmental, road, maritime and air impacts,» the statement reads.
According to the Bloc, the issue concerns the «launch of up to five small rockets at Malbusca, in Santa Maria, between 16 and 28 August», which entails the «closure, until 28 August, of the section of the footpath between Barreiro da Piedade and Calçada do Gigante» and of the Malbusca forest road on the days of the launches.
«A post on a private social media page, just two days in advance, cannot be considered adequate and timely public information, particularly when restrictions on movement and possible consequences for residents, property owners, workers, visitors, farmers and tour operators are at stake,» the party argues.
The Bloc, which has one MP in the Azorean parliament, points out that such operations «depend on coordination with various public authorities» and questions whether the type of rockets in question «are classified as amateur, atmospheric, suborbital or as space operations».
«The licence granted to the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium to operate the Malbusca Launch Centre should not be confused with authorisation for each specific operation,» the Bloc emphasises.
It also requests clarification on safety plans and perimeters, insurance, noise assessments, «emissions and fire risk» and studies on «water resources, habitats, fauna, birdlife, the landscape and the recovery of launched components».
«The Bloc believes that the more complex and exceptional an operation is, the greater the advance notice, clarity and accountability required in public communication must be,» the party insists.
On Friday, in a post on Facebook, the ASC announced that «it will carry out the launch of up to five small atmospheric rockets from the Malbusca Launch Centre between 16 and 28 August, between 09:30 and 12:30», specifying the roads that will be closed due to the operation.
In August 2025, telecoms regulator, ANACOM and the Portuguese Space Agency announced the award of the first operating licence for a space launch centre in Portugal to the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, which intends to carry out suborbital flights from the island of Santa Maria (Malbusca).
The licence issued forms part of the national space strategy «Portugal Espaço 2030» and «relates exclusively to the operation of the launch centre to be located in Malbusca, and does not cover the launch operations themselves, which require specific licensing and assessment».
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