During the “Greece in Orbit” event, held at the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Dimitris Papastergiou, announced Greece’s new National Space Programme, HELLAS-SPACE 2.0, with a total budget of approximately €350 million.

The four-year programme is funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and will be implemented in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Hellenic Space Center (HSC). It follows the first National Microsatellite Programme, valued at €200 million, significantly expanding and strengthening the country’s presence in the space sector.

This new investment, of major national importance, confirms that space has become a strategic priority for Greece’s development, technological autonomy, and international standing. Space applications are directly linked to citizens’ daily lives and safety, contributing to areas such as civil protection, disaster prevention and response, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, telecommunications, and national security.

During the event, the President of the Hellenic Space Center, Dr. Emmanuel Rammos, presented Greece’s first comprehensive National Space Strategy, together with the key priorities of the country’s space policy through 2035.

As he emphasized, the National Space Strategy is not merely a general framework of intentions but a concrete roadmap with clearly defined objectives, timelines, and progress-monitoring mechanisms. The strategy was developed through close cooperation between the Hellenic Space Center, the academic and research community, the Greek space industry, public sector organizations, and European institutions.

A particularly notable moment of the event was the discussion between the Prime Minister and Adrianos Golemis, Greece’s first astronaut candidate and research associate of the Hellenic Space Center. It was also announced that the Greek scientist is expected to travel to space within the next two years, conducting scientific experiments for the benefit of the Greek research community.

With HELLAS-SPACE 2.0 and the National Space Strategy, Greece is no longer merely observing international developments. The country is shaping its own strategic course, investing in its scientific and technological capabilities, and pursuing an active and meaningful role within the European and global space ecosystem.

Read also: HELLAS-SPACE 2.0 – Announcement of the Structure of the New National Space Programme