National Space Program
The national programme and the space assets it builds.
Greece is building its own space capability through two national programmes run by the Ministry of Digital Governance with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Hellenic Space Center (HSC), funded by the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility: the National Smallsat Programme, and its continuation, HELLAS SPACE 2.0.
National Smallsat Programme
A landmark project for Greek space activity, it upgrades the country's space infrastructure. It is an umbrella for a constellation of 13 Earth-observation microsatellites owned by the Greek public (7 optical, 4 thermal and 2 radar), 11 experimental cubesats for in-orbit validation, Greek assembly, integration and testing facilities at the Hellenic Aerospace Industry, the upgrade of 3 observatories for optical communication with satellites, and a Hellenic space debris tracking radar.
Its goals are to meet the needs of the Greek public sector for Earth-observation services, to strengthen domestic secure connectivity and communications, and to support the Greek space ecosystem. 57 partners took part in the satellite contracts, 50 of them based in Greece. The data are collected and processed in the Governmental Hub (GovHub) into products tailored to national needs.
HELLAS SPACE 2.0
HELLAS SPACE 2.0 continues the first national programme. It has a budget of €350 million, is fully funded by the EU Recovery Fund, is implemented through ESA, and runs until the end of 2029 with a possible extension to 2030.
It is organised in seven programme lines: very-high-resolution optical satellites, thermal imaging satellites, radio-frequency monitoring satellites, in-orbit surveillance and operations, secure communications and satellite positioning, innovation and in-orbit testing, and Earth-observation services and data infrastructure. ESA runs the procurement, and contractors must be established in Greece with at least 50% Greek participation. The aim is to leave behind not only satellites, but also Greek industry, jobs and expertise.