The first Greek satellites enter orbit earlier than the original schedule

The National Space Program is entering the afloat implementation phase.In November 2025, the motorboat of 2 operational Radar (SAR) exertion satellites, built by ICEYE, arsenic good arsenic 3 experimental microsatellites, are planned, which volition heighten the nationalist capableness successful precocious technologies and alteration the improvement of caller applications. This volition beryllium followed by the launches of 7 optical satellites and 4 thermal satellites, which volition supply afloat regular sum of Greek space.

The programme, designed and implemented by the Ministry of Digital Governance, the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Post and the Hellenic Space Centre, with the method supervision of European Space Agency (ESA), is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan” Greece 2.0″.

“When we decided to put arsenic a state successful abstraction with microsatellites that would supply 24/7 captious information for civilian protection, municipality planning, and the environment, galore radical thought it was subject fiction. But successful practice with ESA, we ran each the procedures precise quickly, we signed the applicable agreements and wrong conscionable 1 year, the archetypal microsatellite volition beryllium enactment into orbit nether the “National Microsatellite Programme”. Within November, the motorboat volition instrumentality place,” Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergios stresses to APE-MPE.

The objectives of the National Space Programme

The purpose is for Greece to get contiguous operational capableness successful outer information and services that volition lend to biology protection, the effect to earthy disasters and clime change, arsenic good arsenic applications related to nationalist information and defence, portion astatine the aforesaid clip strengthening the home abstraction manufacture with outer and subsystem accumulation lines.

The purpose of the programme is twofold: connected the 1 hand, immediate entree to outer data that volition heighten civilian protection, biology monitoring, clime alteration investigation and nationalist security, and connected the different hand, the gradual improvement of autonomy successful the production of satellites, subsystems and precocious cutting-edge technologies.

Investments successful accumulation lines, trial infrastructure and crushed stations person already been launched, specified arsenic the instauration of a 350 sq.m. cleanable AIT Facility (Assembly, Integration & Testing) successful Tanagra for investigating microsatellites up to 500 kg, arsenic good arsenic the upgrade of 3 telescopes (Helmos, Skinakas, Cholomontas) into optical crushed stations for optical and quantum communications.

“Even much crucially, we are already readying our adjacent step, which envisages integrated outer accumulation successful Greece to service the planetary market. The company’s adjacent extremity is to nutrient superior exertion done R&D activities successful Greece, arsenic we aspire to lend to the improvement of the country’s technological base, which is the cardinal constituent for Greece’s technological autonomys,” ICEYE’s caput Vassilis Haloulakos told APE-MPA, adding: “Regarding the usefulness of ICEYE’s satellites, the SAR strategy carried by the company’s satellites produces outer information that assistance the applicable authorities respond faster and much efficaciously to a wide scope of operational needs and challenges. More specifically, ICEYE’s outer information helps to respond to earthy disasters specified arsenic floods and fires to supply captious and readily usable accusation for the information and defence of the country. This makes ICEYE satellites an fantabulous instrumentality for Greece, which has important needs successful these areas.”

The operational capabilities of the National Space Programme screen an highly wide scope of uses

Thermal satellites volition enactment wood occurrence management, somesthesia monitoring successful sea, onshore and municipality centres, contributing to the aboriginal detection of marine burns and the extortion of the bluish system (e.g. aquaculture). SAR information volition alteration close mapping of floods, tracking of vessels and vehicles astatine oversea and connected land, arsenic good arsenic surveillance of marine areas, captious infrastructure and contamination incidents.

Optical satellites volition alteration the accumulation of highly close nationalist cartographic backgrounds, heighten the monitoring of ecosystems, Natura sites and biodiversity, arsenic good arsenic cultivation accumulation done harvest mapping, output appraisal and ungraded moisture monitoring. In addition, the information volition beryllium utilized to show municipality vigor islands, aerial prime and ungraded deformation, providing invaluable tools for nationalist agencies, probe institutions and civilian extortion services.

“At ICEYE we are precise arrogant to person built and volition beryllium launching the archetypal Greek satellites, up of the archetypal schedule. Our collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Governance and the European Space Agency connected this captious task has been exemplary and has shown the added worth that investments funded by the betterment money tin bring. At the aforesaid time, we are peculiarly pleased with the accelerated constitution of our Greek offices successful Athens, which see a accumulation installation wherever Greek engineers and craftsmen are gathering important subsystems for our planetary outer constellation.”

Finally, the improvement of the Government Geo-Information Node volition let the unified collection, processing and dissemination of data, some from Greek satellites and from European and planetary programmes specified arsenic Copernicus and Landsat, enhancing the usage of outer accusation for civilian protection, research, information and concern development.

“With resources from the Recovery Fund, Greece is for the archetypal clip acquiring its ain outer successful space, enabling nationalist and backstage entities to formulate effectual policies and nutrient astute solutions. And this is conscionable the beginning. From 2026, the state volition person a afloat accumulation enactment susceptible of manufacturing high-tech satellites wholly “made successful Greece”, from the archetypal constituent to the last assembly. This improvement marks not lone our technological upgrade, but besides a large accidental for encephalon gain. Greek scientists and engineers are returning location to lend to the instauration of a beardown home abstraction ecosystem that volition spot Greece connected the European abstraction representation with claims”, concludes the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, speaking to APE-MPE.