LISBON, Nov. 26(Xinhuanet)-- Portugal and the European Space Agency(ESA) signed an accord here Saturday to install a satellite monitoring station in Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores Islands.

Under the deal, the station is to be located in the Santa Maria island, part of the Azores Islands, to monitor the operation of rockets and satellites released from the French Guiana by the ESA. And the station is planned to go into operation in the early 2007.

Portugal's Science, Technology and Higher Education Minister Jose Mariano Gago and ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain attended the signing ceremony.

Gago said at the signing ceremony that the ESA has done a lot in training Portugal's science and technology workers since it joined the ESA five years ago.

Meanwhile, Jean-Jacques Dordain also said the move to set up the station has signaled effective cooperation between the ESA and Portugal.

The Paris-based ESA was founded in 1975 and now has 17 member states. Enditem