ESA-supported Hellenic Assembly, Integration & Testing Facility Clean Room and Infrastructure Implementation Phase begins

The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with Hellenic Aerospace Industry S.A. (HAI) as prime contractor and BCT Group as main subcontractor, has officially kicked off the contract for the implementation of a cleanroom and supporting infrastructure at the Hellenic Assembly, Integration & Testing Facility (HAITF). The signature to begin the activity commenced on 20 May 2025 with a dedicated meeting held in Athens, Greece. The signatories were Alexandros Diakopoulos, CEO of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry S.A, and Stephane Lascar, former Head of Telecommunications Satellite Programmes Department within ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications.

This major milestone follows the successful completion of the design phase and marks the onset of the full construction and implementation phase of the HAITF project. The beginning of the contract represents a decisive step forward for the Greek National Satellite Programme and further strengthen HAI’s position within the European space ecosystem. The project is funded by the European Union through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, and is implemented by ESA on behalf of the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance.

The HAITF project was launched in November 2023 with the objective to design, build, and operate a fully functional Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) infrastructure at HAI’s site in Schimatari. The facility will support the end-to-end process of satellite manufacturing, from subsystem integration to environmental qualification, with capabilities including cleanroom operations, vibration testing, and thermal vacuum testing.

This contract encompasses the execution of the facility’s critical infrastructure, including civil, architectural, mechanical, and electrical elements. A major focus of this phase is the construction and formal acceptance of a state-of-the-art cleanroom environment, essential for conducting high-precision satellite assembly, integration, and testing operations. The final phase of this activity will target the commissioning of all the test equipment within the cleanroom and related infrastructure.

“The HAIT Facility, which will serve as a cornerstone of Greece’s growing space sector,” said Frédéric Rouesnel, Greek Connectivity RRF Project Manager at ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications. “Once operational, it will provide the national capacity to assemble, integrate, and qualify small satellites and space systems to foster technological innovation, job creation, and long-term strategic capability in space systems manufacturing and testing.”

“This facility represents a transformative investment for the entire Greek space ecosystem and an important infrastructure for the National Space Strategy,” said Prof. Konstantinos Karantzalos, General Secretary of Telecom and Post and on behalf of the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance. “Our expectation is that by enabling the construction, integration, and qualification of satellites and cutting-edge space systems for dual-use applications, the facility will pave the way for new technological capabilities and international collaboration and act as an accelerator for economic growth for the dynamic Greek space sector.”