ESA, alongside the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance, Greek industry and academia, has made significant progress in the Greek National Satellite Space Project (GNTS), funded by the European Commission Recovery and Resilience Facility. The programme, managed by ESA has met several milestones by successfully concluding the design phase and kicking off the implementation phase; these milestones are representing crucial steps forward in strengthening Greece's position in the global space sector and demonstrating the nation's industrial capabilities.
The programme has achieved a critical milestone by completing the Critical Design Review for seven space missions. These missions demonstrate Greece's emerging capabilities in space technology: Phasma (developed by the Libre Space Foundation), OptiSat (designed by Planetek Hellas), PeakSat (Led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), MICE-1 (developed by Prisma Electronics SA), DUTHSat-2 (designed by Democritus University of Thrace), ERMIS (developed by National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), and Hellenic Space Dawn (led by EM Tech).
This accomplishment is the result of extensive design and planning efforts, paving the way for the next crucial phase, the assembly, integration and testing of the 11 satellites. It represents both a technical achievement, and a demonstration of the collective capabilities of Greek and European scientific and industrial expertise. The launch of these missions is scheduled to take place in 2025 and 2026. The collaborative nature of this programme, with Greek universities and industry partners, underscores the importance of European cooperation in advancing space technology.
Another element of the Greek programme the Hellenic Assembly, Integration and Testing Facility (HAITF), developed in partnership with the Hellenic Aerospace Industry S.A. (HAI), has passed its design phase and is now entering the implementation phase which was already anticipated by the procurement of the Long Lead Items such as the brand new thermal vacuum chamber and the facility’s new vibration test system. This progression represents a further step to providing operational state-of-the-art set of facilities to Assemble, Integrate and Test future satellites and space devices in Greece, providing new opportunities for professionals and organisations to showcase and test their technical expertise and products.
Simultaneously, the Optical Ground Stations network, developed in partnership with Raymectrics and a large, has successfully passed the preliminary design phase. This part encompasses the transformation of three renowned Greek observatories – Helmos, Skinakas, and Holomondas – which will be turned into state-of-the-art optical ground stations.
All these elements form part of the wider Greek National Satellite Space Project, which was launched in March 2019, by ESA and the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance as part of the Greek Connectivity Programme under Regulation (EU) 2021/241 and aligned with Greece’s Recovery Plan, approved on 6 July 2021.
The Greek National Satellite Space Project aims to enhance Greece’s satellite capabilities. It focuses on developing, producing, and launching versatile small satellites for secure connectivity and multiple services, leveraging Greece’s advanced observatories for future high-speed optical and quantum communications.
“ESA is proud to be supporting the thriving Greek space ecosystem. We are delighted to see these milestones being met, with launches of many Greek Cubesat satellites and new capabilities on the horizon, this programme showcases the role ESA, the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance, industry and academia partners, together with the European Commission, in driving Greek and European competitiveness in space,” Frederic Rouesnel, Project Manager for the ESA’s Greek National RRF.
“The ministry of Digital Governance, via the secretariat of Telecommunications and Post and the Hellenic Space Center, are supporting all missions horizontally towards ensuring their successful launch within the 2025/Early-2026 timeframe while safekeeping the alignment of each mission to the national needs", Dimitrios Christopoulos, Scientific Officer, Satellite Communications and Integrated Applications at Hellenic Space Center.
