14/11/2024
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Today, the European Space Agency signed six contracts that will help position Greece as a key player in the field of Earth observation.
The contracts fall under Greece’s National Satellite Space Project, which is a new initiative. In fact, the Ministry of Digital Governance in Greece only announced the implementation path for the Project at the end of 2023.
The National Satellite Space Project, which is part of the EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Facility plans for Greece, aims to strengthen the country’s capabilities in satellite technologies and applications, empower the country to exchange satellite data, create jobs and generate prosperity.
The Earth observation component of the project, which was initiated at the end of 2023, has already come a long way.
Contracts have already been signed for the first ‘Axes’ that kicked off the development of the thermal imaging and synthetic aperture radar systems, the Greek optical satellite constellation and the relevant ground infrastructure.
Today’s six contracts signed by ESA in the presence of the Hellenic Space Center and Greek Ministry of Digital Governance cover Axis-3, the services element, which is needed to complete the end-to-end observing system.
The system will be designed to turn raw satellite data into systematic, coherent, timely and actionable information tailored to meet specific needs of users for five key areas: the monitoring of agriculture, forests, water, land, and for safety and security.
These services will be hosted on the governmental hub IT infrastructure, covered by the 6th Axis-3 contract.
ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said, “Built on a strong partnership between the Greek government, industry and ESA, the Greek National Satellite Space Project exemplifies the power of collaboration, positioning Greece as a key player in Earth observation.
“Today’s six new contracts for Axis-3 mark a pivotal step in establishing an end-to-end system to transform satellite data into actionable insights for environmental monitoring and for safety and security.
“I would further like to stress that the development of this industrial capacity and the future availability of operational services is crucial, not only for Greece, but for Europe at large.”
