This is Europe's largest B2B space event and FHP once again took part in the event, which took place between 19 and 21 November in Bremen, Germany. The FHP team once again took part and presented its latest innovations at the AED Cluster Portugal stand, which brings togetherbrought together more than 140 Portuguese entities working in the Aeronautics, Space and Defence sectors. This edition of Space Tech Expo presented products and technologies that are driving the future of space exploration. The event attracted at an event with more than 700 exhibitors in five exhibition halls, where the main players in this industry can be found..

After a demanding campaign of vibration tests, held this November in Liège, Belgium, the ELOIS Cover hardware has passed this its first qualification stage, after past adversities. The ELOIS project - Aa compact and lightweight hyperspectral imager - will still go through the second and final qualification phase, including a shock test, later this year. With a mass of 40kg, this instrument is dedicated to future constellations and offers excellent radiometric performance across the entire solar spectrum. Another This is another important milestone in the structure offor the FHP developed instrument developed by FHP, which is due to be launched at the end of next year.

FHP took part in the 75^th International Astronautical Congress, between 14 and 18 October in Milan, Italy. FHP was part of the Portuguese Space Agency's joint stand, showing that the country is committed to space technology and innovation. In this edition, the company showcased its expertise, exhibiting thermal protections, a tank and a deployable mast, as well as filament winding applications. The event, co-organised by the Italian Aeronautics and Astronautics Association (AIDAA), in partnership with the Italian Space Agency, was attended by the Portuguese Secretary of State for Science, Ana Paiva. FHP had already exhibited at the previous edition, which took place in Paris, France, in September 2022.

The integration of the FHP MLI (multilayer insulation) into the satellite was completed in July and in August the HERA probe travelled to Florida, in the United States of America. The launch of this European Space Agency mission on 7 October represented an international effort to defend the planet against near-Earth objects. FHP was one of three Portuguese companies involved in this project. The Hera probe will carry out the first detailed analysis of the asteroid system Didymos, and the change in orbit caused by the NASA Double Asteroid Redirect Mission (DART) into the smaller asteroid, Dimorphos, in 2022. 

FHP has completed the assembly of the mast for the Large Stable Deployable Structures for Future Science Missions (LADS) project. This European Space Agency (ESA) initiative stems from the growing need for a deployable mast system, adaptable to the requirements of different missions in the field of telecommunications, Earth observation and scientific missions in Europe. The structure developed by FHP consists of an articulated mast with a diameter of 2 metres and a length of 10 metres, capable of moving a 1 tonne instrument from a space vehicle, with a view to the next habitat missions on the moon. These masts could also be used for optical tunnelling in large telescopes (such as the ATHENA mission). Having completed the manufacture and assembly of an engineering qualification model, the final testing is currently underway.

To guide and focus our attention on the present, on 11 July the FHP team held a mindfulness yoga class. The activity combines yoga postures with mindfulness, emphasizing the observation of bodily sensations, thoughts and emotions during the practice. Mindfulness yoga promotes a state of alignment between mind, body and spirit. The session brought the team together in a different and relaxed atmosphere, with the aim of freeing the mind to make it more productive.

FHP is one of the companies that make up the New Space Portugal consortium, whose mission it is to redefine Portugal's space developments. As a technology supplier, on 16 June the company took part in the Coimbra Space Training Camp, organized by the Pedro Nunes Institute (IPN). This initiative was an excellent networking opportunity in which FHP presented the projects it has developed in the space sector. Another contribution to the space innovation ecosystem.

A representative from the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) visited FHP on 19 January with the aim of getting to know the Portuguese ecosystem with a view to developing future partnerships for a common goal. The meeting was organised by FCJ Europe - a venture builder, also known as a start-up factory - which works with entrepreneurs to develop ideas. This initiative stems from the memorandum of understanding signed between Portugal and Brazil on 22 April 2023 for Cooperation in the Peaceful Use of Space, Space Sciences, Technologies, and Applications. The AEB is the institution responsible for formulating, coordinating, and executing the Brazilian Space Policy.

The Formula Student FEUP (FSFEUP) team, which received technical support from FHP in 2023, visited the company's facilities on 9 January to present the results obtained under this partnership. These students from the University of Porto's Faculty of Engineering developed the first prototype of an electric car with suspension arms made from carbon fiber tubes produced at FHP's composites unit, in Trofa (Portugal). They took part in international competitions in the UK, Germany, and Portugal with the electric class (EV) prototype, endeavoring, like FHP, to play an active role in building a sustainable future. A successful bet, which led to the renewal of this partnership for another cycle, until August 2025.

A constellation of 16 Earth observation microsatellites is to be launched by 2025 as part of an international co-operation. FHP is part of the New Space Portugal consortium and will supply MLI for the two VHR - Very High Resolution - satellites and will participate in the development of depots (COPVs) and satellite structures. It will also take part in the development, production, and industrialization of the antenna for the VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) satellites. GEOSAT is the leader of the consortium for this activity, which is part of the "New Space Portugal" Mobilizing Agenda. The aim of this constellation is to create a single satellite platform to be used for a wide variety of applications, ranging from monitoring maritime traffic, fisheries, aquaculture, biodiversity or coastal erosion to climate, communications and testing orbital technologies in the EEZ - Portugal's Exclusive Economic Zone, the third largest in the European Union.

FHP was one of the companies invited to present the project it carried out with the support of ESA SPARK 4 Tech, in a process involving Frezite's Metal (FMT - Frezite Metal Tooling) and Wood Divisions. The two tools developed as part of this work involving the group's companies were presented on 30 November at the Instituto Pedro Nunes (Pedro Nunes Institute) in Coimbra, at an event organized by ESA Space Solutions Portugal to mark its ninth anniversary.

The sixth edition of Space Tech Expo Europe 2023 was the biggest event to date in Germany. It brought together the entire space supply chain in Bremen, considered the city of space, and once again FHP took part. Between 14 and 16 November, Frezite's space company exhibited at the stand of AED Portugal - the Portuguese cluster for Aeronautics, Space and Defence - in another successful and not-to-be-missed event.

They are a regular presence at international competitions and, once again, received technical support from FHP at the European Rocketry Challenge 2023 (EuRoC23). RED, a team from Técnico's Aerospace Engineering Student Centre, came second in the General Classification and won the Payload Award, which honours the best scientific experiments, in an edition that took place in Constância, Portugal. Congratulations RED, we're with you, always flying higher.

FHP is designing and manufacturing the thermal insulation (MLI) for the next fast-class deep space mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA), Comet Interceptor (COMET-I). It’s a direct collaboration with OHB Italia and, FHP’s first contract with OHB Italia, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB SE. By exploring comets, this mission will allow humanity to better understand the origins of our solar system and, possibly, the origin of life.

FHP is carrying out the final integration of HERA at ESA – European Space Agency. The integration of the MLI blankets into the satellite is taking place at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where the ESA assembles and tests satellites before launch. The Hera satellite is designed to study and test planetary defense techniques to deflect potentially dangerous asteroids that can threaten the Earth. The Hera will also contribute to understanding the formation and evolution of asteroids and is scheduled for launch in October 2024.

Formula Student FEUP (FSFEUP), the team sponsored by FHP, presented its first electric prototype, which will take part in international competitions this summer. The team's first rollout took place in July at the Main Auditorium of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. The car has carbon fibre tubes produced at the company's composites unit in Trofa, applied to the suspension arms. It was the presentation of the result of the hard work carried out by the team over its two years of existence. The FEUP - Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto - team will be taking part in three competitions later this year: Formula Student UK (United Kingdom), Formula Student Germany and Formula Student Portugal. Good luck!

A successful test campaign for the structural model of ESA's next exoplanet mission, Plato, took place between May and August at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. During liftoff, Plato will have to withstand intense vibrations, so this test model, as well as the flight model, are equipped with multi-layer coatings (MLI) from FHP. To ensure that the satellite can survive the start of its journey into space, engineers pre-test its structural integrity and thermal performance to characterise the spacecraft during its development. The Plato satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2026 aboard an Ariane 6 launcher.

It is one of the most efficient rockets of the space exploration era and set off on its last journey on 7 July from the Kourou base, in French Guiana (South America), carrying a French defence satellite and a German communications satellite built by OHB and operated by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). During the 15 years that it is to be in orbit, the Heinrich Hertz geostationary satellite (H2Sat) will be protected from extreme temperatures by FHP's thermal insulation (MLI), which is thus participating in this German communications satellite launched as a platform for new communication technologies. After 27 years of service to the European Space Agency, over 117 missions, and with a reliability rate of 97%, Ariane 5 has carried more than 230 satellites into space.

Euclid, the space telescope that will explore the "dark side" of the Universe, with the aim of discovering the great cosmic mystery of dark matter and dark energy, was launched on 1 July aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The telescope that will seek to "shine a light" on the invisible Universe follows with a multilayer insulation (MLI) from FHP, one of the six Portuguese companies involved in this mission of ESA - European Space Agency. For six years, Euclid will observe billions of galaxies, which will allow it to obtain, in 15 days, images of an area "swept" by the Hubble Space Telescope in 30 years.

See the launch here

The company Satellogic Inc. – leader in sub-meter resolution satellite imagery collection – launched, on June 12, four more satellites of its Earth Observation ("EO") constellation with SpaceX Transporter 8. All these satellites are equipped with multilayer insulation (MLI) produced by FHP, in Porto, which has been making monthly supplies for this customer since the end of last year. In this way, Satellogic advances on its goal of bi-weekly global remapping and enhanced geospatial capabilities with 5th generation satellites. Find additional information on the launch here.

Regular presence at the event, FHP participated in the 9th edition of AED Days, which took place between 31 May and 2 June at Taguspark, in Oeiras (Lisbon, Portugal). In addition to exhibiting its products and receiving distinguished visitors, in the Meet the Buyer program, the company met in virtually and physically to debate the present and future challenges of the Aeronautics, Space and Defense sectors, with the main national and international players of these industries, and seek collaborations and business partnerships.

Between 18^th and 20^th April, the Space company of the FREZITE Group was audited in its facilities in Porto. The Airbus representatives also took the opportunity to visit the composites production unit of FHP in Trofa (Portugal). Following this visit, FHP is now formally qualified for the supply of MLI for telecommunication satellites. Specialist in multilayer insulation (MLI), FHP is a qualified supplier by LSI - Large System Integrators in Europe.

Launched on April 14, JUICE (acronym for JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer) will explore Jupiter and three of its four largest moons, which may hide oceans and, who knows, have (or have had) life. The European Space Agency's mission brings FHP's know-how in thermal protection in several of the satellite's instruments (MAG, SWI, JDC, MGAMA). The company was also responsible for producing a thermal development model with a "1:1 scale mockup of the satellite". JUICE flew aboard the Ariane 5 rocket from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and has a long journey ahead of it, as it is not due to reach its destination until July 2031.

See here the Portuguese participation.

On March 22^nd, the company received a visit from two classes of ETAP, a professional school that proposes education in general, as well as courses in technological, artistic, and professional areas. Thirty-four students from the Aircraft Mechanic and Flight Material courses, as well as the Automotive Mechatronics class, visited the company's facilities in Porto to discover how solutions are developed for space and how the acquired know-how is applied into terrestrial solutions. This is yet another action that strengthens the proximity relationships with educational institutions, as is usual for the FREZITE Group.

On March 21^st, FHP celebrated its 16^th anniversary. Since its foundation, it has had a remarkable journey with participations in missions to Mars and Jupiter, and has new, equally challenging projects, on the horizon. The team, plural and multidisciplinary, gathered to celebrate the occasion with symbolic gestures, planting seeds for the future, searching for new horizons. Congratulations, team!

See here the launch

NIAG is a high-level advisory and consultative Group that promotes the sharing of information between NATO, Allies, and their industry. The plenary of the NATO Industrial Advisory Group, where 51 entities from 25 countries are represented, including some of the major global players in the defence industry (such as Airbus, BAE Systems, Leonardo, Navantia, Raytheon, Saab or Thales), business associations and NATO agencies met from 28 to 30 November in Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal). Alongside the plenary sessions, an Industry Day was held with the participation of FHP among the 30 entities of the Defense Technological and Industrial Base to promote the internationalisation of the Portuguese defense economy. The group meets three times a year, one of which, outside NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

The company once again participated in the largest exhibition and conference dedicated to the space industry held in Europe. The fifth edition of this B2B event took place between the 14 and 16 of November, in Bremen, Germany, also called the city of space. FHP was one of the exhibitors’ companies present at the stand of the Portuguese cluster of the sector, AED Portugal.

FHP - Frezite High Performance participated in an Equipment Qualification Status Review (EQSR) process within the CHIME programme, which aims to support new and improved services for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity management, as well as soil properties characterisation. The process took place in October and involved the OHB consortium as project integrator, TAS-F and ESA – European Space Agency as final customer and FHP as manufacturer of the MLI for CHIME. Various tests and qualification tests were evaluated and the full suitability of FHP's MLI to CHIME Phase C/D requirements was confirmed, opening new perspectives for FHP's growth as a type A supplier for other missions.

FHP received the green light from the audit carried out this month, which resulted in the renewal of its certification under EN 9100, which establishes specific quality management requirements for the aeronautical industry. This standard has been adopted by the largest manufacturers in the sector (such as Airbus, Boeing, GEAE and Rolls-Royce) who require it in contracts with their business partners. Based on ISO 9001, it includes common and additional requirements relating to production, with a special focus on quality, safety and technology issues in all aspects of the industry and throughout the supply chain.

The FHP was represented at the 73rd International Astronautical Congress held between 18 and 22 September in France. The initiative took place at the Paris Convention Centre and Portugal was represented at the Portugal Space stand, where the external box of the ANITA-2 instrument (which flew in December 2021), a demonstrator with several types of MLI, the multilayer coating in which FHP is a specialist, as well as a mockup of the MLI of the NOMAD instrument, which is operating since 2016 in the ExoMars mission, were exhibited. Sustainable Space for Earth Sustainability was the motto for the Portuguese participation.

"Sunset in the Park" was an initiative promoted by FHP - Frezite High Performance on July 29^th. Before the Summer holidays, the company gathered the team in Parque da Cidade, in Porto, in a relaxed weekday to celebrate the summer and strengthen the team spirit. It was a good initiative.