With a total budget of €350 million and a target of at least 50% of projects being made in Greece, the new national space program “Hellas-Space 2.0” is ready for launch, with ambitions to lay the foundations for a strong domestic space industry. The program’s seven pillars cover everything from satellite development and secure communications to Artificial Intelligence applications and space data utilization, with the first tenders expected in the final quarter of 2026. This is the largest national program ever designed for the space sector, to be implemented through the European Space Agency (ESA) and carried out over a horizon of at least three years — from the last quarter of 2026 through the end of 2029 — with the possibility of extension through 2030.
Greece’s growing visibility in the European space ecosystem
Over the past two years, Greece has been establishing an increasingly visible presence in the European space ecosystem. Developments such as ICEYE’s decision to set up a satellite production facility in Athens, the prospect of Greece producing its first astronaut, and the progress of ESA’s space entrepreneurship incubator in Greece — which has now completed five years of operation and has already supported 32 space technology startups — all signal that a domestic innovation ecosystem around space is gradually taking shape.
In practical terms, “Hellas-Space 2.0” aspires to represent the next and most ambitious step in this journey. No longer solely through the participation of Greek companies and research teams in European programs, but also through the creation of a domestic production base, new industrial infrastructure, and export-oriented technologies.
The most significant differentiator of “Hellas-Space 2.0” lies in the philosophy behind the program. For the first time, the public sector is not simply seeking to acquire new space capabilities, but to use public investment as a tool for developing a competitive Greek space industry — generating know-how, a productive base, and exportable products. In other words, the program aims to transform public expenditure into a lever for industrial growth.
The requirement for at least 50% Greek participation is perhaps the most important feature of the new program. In practice, however, the ambitions of the ministry and ESA go even further.
Prospective contractors will not be evaluated solely on technical specifications and cost. They will need to demonstrate a comprehensive business plan for leveraging the projects, a commercial exploitation plan for the services to be produced, a clear framework for managing intellectual property and data rights, while Greek companies are expected to take a leading role in key subsystems and deliver a long-term investment footprint in the country. Additionally, particular emphasis is placed on cybersecurity, risk management, export controls, and the operational readiness of projects.
Seven pillars
The €350 million is distributed across seven major investment packages, covering the entire space economy value chain — from satellites and on-orbit operations to secure communications and data utilization.
The largest share of resources is directed toward the development of very high-resolution optical satellites and thermal imaging satellites, with a budget of €60–70 million for each category. This is followed by RF/SIGINT satellites for signal and intelligence collection, with a budget of €45–50 million, while €35–45 million is allocated for space domain awareness and on-orbit operations projects. An additional €17–23 million will go toward secure satellite communications and positioning services, €15–20 million toward a space innovation and new technology testing program, and €25–35 million toward the development of secure data infrastructure and Earth observation services.
The applications of the new infrastructure extend well beyond the traditional use of satellite imagery. Optical satellites will be used to detect changes in buildings and infrastructure, monitor borders, support maritime surveillance, enable precision agriculture, and enhance civil protection. Thermal imaging satellites will improve early fire detection, fire front mapping, urban heat island monitoring, and irrigation needs assessment, while RF/SIGINT systems will offer capabilities for detecting illegal transmissions, monitoring the electromagnetic spectrum, identifying “dark” vessels, and enhancing the security of critical infrastructure.
Another standout feature is that the program is not limited to technology development — it actively pursues the creation of productive capacity within Greece. Space domain awareness projects include provisions for establishing a Greek production line for agile spacecraft, while in the secure communications sector, plans call for developing domestic production lines for satellite communication terminals and Galileo PRS receivers. In some activities, the domestic content requirement exceeds 60%, while security infrastructure projects may require up to 100% Greek participation.
Equally significant is the pillar focused on leveraging the data that will be generated by the new space infrastructure.
The program envisions the creation of a National Data Hub, new data processing infrastructure in cloud and HPC environments, and the development of Artificial Intelligence applications for both the public and private sectors. In practice, the program’s value will stem not only from the satellites themselves, but also from the data they generate and the new services that will be built upon that data.
Published in Money Pro by Parapolitika
