Greece Commits 350 Million Euros to Sovereign Satellite Programme
Greece unveiled Hellas-Space 2.0, a 350 million euro national space programme, on August 3, 2026, to expand national space infrastructure and domestic industrial capabilities. The Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence announced the initiative, which centers on deploying very high-resolution optical and thermal imaging satellites. The capital investment is administered through the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Post in coordination with the European Space Agen
OST Staff · August 4, 2026
Greece unveiled Hellas-Space 2.0, a 350 million euro national space programme, on August 3, 2026, to expand national space infrastructure and domestic industrial capabilities. The Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence announced the initiative, which centers on deploying very high-resolution optical and thermal imaging satellites.
The capital investment is administered through the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Post in coordination with the European Space Agency, drawing primary financial backing from the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund Greece 2.0. The programme functions as the core pillar of Greece's long-term space strategy, establishing dedicated funding for space infrastructure procurement, satellite data integration, domestic aerospace research, and technical workforce development.
The capital deployment builds directly on recent Hellenic space investments executed under earlier phases of the national strategy. In recent years, the ministry financed the ERMIS CubeSat constellation in partnership with OQ Hellas and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens to validate secure space connectivity, Internet of Things routing, and 5G non-terrestrial networks. These space segment assets complement newly commissioned ground segment hardware, including the operational activation of the Holomondas Optical Ground Station, which enables high-speed laser communications downlinks for sovereign orbital payloads.
The operational architecture centers on the procurement and deployment of very high-resolution optical satellites to deliver precise geospatial intelligence. The constellation will also incorporate thermal imaging satellites tailored for civil protection missions, wildfire detection, environmental monitoring, and maritime domain awareness across the Mediterranean region.
The 350 million euro budget is drawn primarily from the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund Greece 2.0, with procurement administered by the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Post in coordination with ESA. Funding covers space infrastructure procurement, satellite data integration, domestic aerospace research, and technical workforce development.
Hellas-Space 2.0 acts as the core pillar of Greece's long-term space strategy. The programme is aimed at expanding national space infrastructure and building domestic industrial capability, positioning Greece to develop sovereign orbital payloads and geospatial intelligence assets.
Following the official announcement, ESA and the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Post will issue open industrial tenders for payload development and spacecraft assembly. Prime contract awards and target launch windows for the initial thermal imaging and geospatial satellite batches will be finalized as procurement frameworks open throughout late 2026 and 2027.