The Argentine company Satellogic announced the signing of a contract worth USD 18 million to supply two state-of-the-art optical satellites to Portugal, in an initiative aimed at strengthening the European country’s technological autonomy and enhancing its capabilities in defense, sustainability, and Earth observation. The project will have a direct impact on the development of the Atlantic Constellation, considered strategic for the region.
The transfer of ownership and operational control of the satellites to the Center for Engineering and Product Development of Portugal (CEiiA) is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026. According to the company, this accelerated timeline is possible thanks to its vertically integrated production line and the rapid launch cadence that characterizes Satellogic.
Satellogic: an Argentine company with global projection
With a market value close to USD 500 million and listed on Wall Street, Satellogic specializes in the design, manufacture, and operation of satellite systems.
Its constellation of low-orbit nanosatellites allows for high-resolution images of the planet, offering precise information to governments and commercial clients in sectors such as agriculture, security, energy, and urban planning.
Portugal’s vision and the Atlantic Constellation
For Jorge Cabral, Chief Scientific Officer of CEiiA, the incorporation of these satellites represents a significant advance in the national Earth observation objectives. “The provision of these two satellites marks another important milestone for the fulfillment of the Atlantic Constellation,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of knowledge transfer as a fundamental part of the collaboration.
From Satellogic, CEO and co-founder Emiliano Kargieman highlighted that the alliance redefines the delivery of satellite systems by offering fast, affordable, and sovereign access to high-quality observation capabilities. “Portugal and the Atlantic Constellation represent a cutting-edge approach to resilient geospatial intelligence,” he noted.
Applications and technological sovereignty
The satellites, with a resolution of 50 centimeters, will enable high-value applications in line with local and regional priorities. Among them:
- Environmental sustainability: monitoring of forests, coasts, and natural resources.
- Security and defense: strategic surveillance and territorial control.
- Urban and agricultural planning: precise data for soil and crop management.
Satellogic’s comprehensive model supports the autonomous availability of data and long-term technological independence, central aspects for sovereignty in Earth observation.
The career of Emiliano Kargieman
Kargieman, initially known as a young hacker, founded Core Security, a cybersecurity company with clients like Amazon and Mastercard. In 2010, he attended Singularity University, at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where he became convinced he could reinvent the satellite industry. Thus, Satellogic was born.
In recent months, his name has also been linked to OpenAI’s mega investment of USD 25 billion to build a large artificial intelligence data center in Patagonia, considered the largest infrastructure project in Argentine history. The initiative is being developed alongside Sur Energy, a clean energy company created by Kargieman and the physicist and tech investor Mat Travisano, who recently passed away in a mountain accident. The goal is to turn Argentina into the largest AI hub in the region, exporting computational power on a global scale.
The importance of Satellogic’s contract with Portugal
The contract with Portugal consolidates Satellogic as a key player in the international space industry and reinforces Argentina’s role in the development of Earth observation technologies.
At the same time, projects related to artificial intelligence and clean energy demonstrate how Argentine innovation can have a global impact, from the Atlantic Constellation to the future of computing in Patagonia.
