Greek Connectivity Programme implemented by ESA proceeds with satellite commissioning and launches

13 Feb 2026

The MICE-1 and PHASMA Greek CubeSat missions supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) have begun their in-orbit activities, a key milestone in their launch and early operations phase.

The two missions were launched into Sun Synchronous Orbit on 28 November 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, USA. Joining DUTHSat-2 in orbit, MICE-1 and PHASMA are part of the Greek National Small Satellite Programme implemented by ESA on behalf of the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance. The three missions are part of a larger endeavour to launch a total of seven Greek missions, which will culminate with four additional CubeSat missions in 2026.

The Greek IOD/IOV CubeSat programme falls under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan ‘Greece 2.0’ funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a core programme of the European Union’s NextGenerationEU. The RRF aims to strengthen Greece’s technological capabilities in areas such as secure connectivity and Earth observation, while fostering the country’s presence in the global space community.

MICE-1 and PHASMA are the latest addition to this effort. The satellites are operated by PRISMA Electronics and the Libre Space Foundation respectively. During the critical launch and operations phase, both teams work to verify spacecraft health, gradually activating onboard systems. Following launch, the operators successfully established contact with all spacecrafts and verified their response to commands – enabling the teams to safely progress through the commissioning of key functions and transition towards routine operations.

PHASMA is composed of two satellites, LAMARR and DIRAC, equipped with a SatNOGS-COMMS transceiver and a payload antenna used to monitor radio frequency activity in UHF and S-bands before sending the measurements to the ground stations. By combining measurements from the two satellites with their orbital positioning, operators will be able to determine the location of the signals, particularly whether they are originating from Earth or from space. With this information, the Libre Space Foundation team will be able to quantify global spectrum usage and identify potential sources of interference or violations.

The Maritime Identification and Communication systEm-1 (MICE-1), developed by Prisma Electronics S.A. with the support of the Democritus University of Thrace, is a 3U CubeSat focused on enhancing maritime tracking activities in the Mediterranean Sea.  MICE-1 hosts an antenna and receiver to track Automated Identification System (AIS) signals broadcast by seafaring vessels, extending maritime tracking coverage into remote areas. In addition, the mission establishes communication with ships equipped with PRISMA Electronics’ LAROS system. LAROS supports the diagnosis and early warning for structural, environmental and energy footprint assessment of maritime assets.

The remaining four ESA-supported missions of the seven  planned since  2023, are planned to be launched in 2026: ERMIS (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), OptiSat (Planetek Hellas), PeakSat (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) and Hellenic Space Dawn (EMTech SPACE). Together, the seven missions will contribute to expanding Greece’s space ambitions with practical know-how in satellite building, launch and operations to take on a growing place in the European space ecosystem.

“ESA and the Hellenic Ministry for Digital Governance are building a bold foundation for Greece’s future in space,” said Frederic Rouesnel, Greek National Telecom Satellites Programme Manager at the European Space Agency. “Each mission in the programme is another milestone in the new space race, expanding Greece’s ability to design, assemble, test, operate and leverage satellites – both independently and in collaboration with the rest of the European space ecosystem. We will continue building up speed towards this ambitious future in space in the months to come.”