Speaking to state news agency PAP during the EU Space Days 2025 event in Gdańsk, northern Poland, Marta Ewa Wachowicz emphasized the growing link between the space sector and defense.
"The challenges Europe faces in terms of security and defense are especially pressing in our geopolitical context,” she said. "Space offers both solutions and support."
Wachowicz added that Poland’s role in the European Space Agency (ESA) has grown steadily since joining in 2012.
“We now rank as the seventh-largest contributor. We’re seeing incredible progress,” she told the PAP news agency.
Wachowicz also underlined the importance of developing a full-fledged space industry and using space technologies to modernize the country.
“Let’s remember that the space sector is mainly an industry—producing technology, launching satellites, and, crucially, using the resulting data," she said. "This data powers applications far beyond navigation and satellite communication. It enables Earth observation, which in turn fuels innovation, new products, and services."
Some of challenges ahead include increasing Poland’s involvement in ambitious European space projects, according to Wachowicz.
She highlighted the contributions of scientific institutes such as the Polish Academy of Sciences' Space Research Centre and the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation.
“These institutes are determined to take part in major, exciting ventures, including lunar and Martian exploration," she said. "As a country, we must join with our European partners to shape and participate in bold scientific missions."
EU Space Days, organized by the European Commission under the Polish presidency of the EU Council, include panel discussions on defense, civil protection, secure communications and access to space.
Formerly known as the EU Space Week, the event focuses on policy and innovation.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR/PAP