Poland’s defence ministry announces first satellite launch set for November
Poland to Launch First National Military Satellite in November, Defence Minister Announces
Poland’s first national military satellite will be launched into orbit this November, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced at the opening of the country’s first satellite mission control centre.
Speaking at the Military University of Technology (WAT) in Warsaw, Kosiniak-Kamysz said the new centre would strengthen Poland’s capacity to “observe, influence and, above all, ensure security”. He noted that the facility will oversee the launch of Poland’s first satellites, marking a major step in the nation’s growing involvement in the space sector.
The minister explained that the planned constellation of satellites, beginning with the November launch, will provide imaging capabilities “day or night, in all weather conditions”. He stressed the importance of modern technologies for national security:
“Heavy equipment, tanks, aircraft – all of this is very necessary, but we know that Poland’s secure future lies in cyberspace, in space, in artificial intelligence, and in drones,” he said.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also underlined the central role of data in security and development:
“Information is fundamental. Databases are today’s most powerful currency, not only in security, but also in economics and growth. The more data we acquire and process, the safer we will be.”
Poland’s space ambitions have been steadily advancing. Last year, the country’s most sophisticated satellite to date successfully entered orbit, providing high-resolution imagery for applications ranging from agriculture to defence. The project was a collaboration between private firms Creotech and Scanway, which developed the platform and telescope, and the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), which built the telescope’s computer and control algorithms.
In April, Creotech secured a €52 million (222 million złoty) contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to construct and launch a constellation of Earth-observation satellites.
Poland also celebrated a milestone in June when astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski became the second Pole to travel to space. He launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule, spending 14 days conducting scientific research on the International Space Station before returning safely to Earth.