The announcement came during the ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Bremen, Germany, where Poland also committed nearly EUR 550 million to optional ESA programmes for 2026–2028, the Polish development ministry said.
The figure represents a tenfold increase in Poland’s contribution to the agency over the past three years, state news agency PAP reported.
The country's finance minister, Andrzej Domański, said the initiatives would strengthen Poland’s position as a technological leader in Central and Eastern Europe.
"We are becoming a strategic ESA partner and investing consistently in high-value programmes that support an innovation-driven economy and future technologies," he said on Thursday.
Poland’s contribution will cover a wide range of areas, including Earth observation, secure communications, space transport, orbital servicing, space security, robotic exploration and the development of technologies and instruments for future missions.
The planned ESA centre in Poland is expected to complement existing European operations, particularly the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) in Belgium, and support the continent’s space security and resilience capabilities, the ESA said.
Josef Aschbacher, the ESA’s Director General, described the development as a "positive step" for Poland’s engagement with the ESA, saying it would help establish the country "as an emerging space power, particularly in the areas of crisis response, resilience and defence. "
Poland, which joined the ESA in 2012, already hosts ESA business incubation centres in the capital Warsaw and the cities of Rzeszów, Gdańsk, Poznań and Wrocław, and more than 70 Polish companies are contributing to the country’s growing role in the global space industry.
Domański said the new centre was intended to serve all ESA member states, providing knowledge, capabilities and support across Europe.
The letter of intent marks the first step toward building the facility, with detailed planning and coordination expected to follow.
(ał/gs)
Source: PAP, IAR
Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Michał Owczarek.