The deal came into effect on Monday, the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology announced.
As a result, Poland is set to have three optoelectronic satellites and one radar satellite, worth EUR 85 million, within four years, the state news agency PAP reported.
The project will provide Polish authorities with high-resolution Earth observation data, while also giving domestic firms the opportunity to gain expertise in the production and integration of satellite systems, according to officials.
Poland’s Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda told reporters: “Data provided by satellites will be used to record, assess and monitor the effects of climate change and environmental pollution, to assess security and to determine the scale of state support for farmers and entrepreneurs, among other uses.”
Buda added: “Currently Poland does not possess its own satellites, while demand for high-resolution data is very high.”
Poland’s deal with the ESA will also allow the country’s satellite-systems companies to gain unique industry expertise, bringing them new contracts, a place in European supply chains and a role in the ESA’s key projects, according to officials.
The space industry is helping drive technological and scientific progress in many industries and having an impact on people’s lives, the ministry said.
Satellite data helps assess the wear and tear of roads, and predict potential damage, as well as assess the threat of floods, monitor seas and oceans, analyse the effects of potential fires and monitor border security, among other aspects of crisis management, according to officials.
Data provided by satellites are also employed by Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion, the PAP news agency reported.
Officials in Kyiv are using satellite technology to estimate the economic losses caused by the war, the Polish government noted.
The project to launch four satellites by 2027 is part of Poland’s cooperation with the ESA designed to develop the domestic space industry, according to officials.
In August, Poland’s development and technology minister and ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher signed three agreements, on the participation of Poland’s second-ever astronaut in an ESA space mission, on ESA internships for Polish university graduates and on the development of Polish space technology, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl