Open Cosmos, a provider of space missions and data, has secured a €60 million contract to deploy an Earth Observation Constellation consisting of seven satellites which will supply daily high-resolution and very-high-resolution imagery.
This flagship project forms part of the Greek government’s procurement of an advanced satellite constellation. The data collected from this constellation will be instrumental in improving public services such as the land registry, combating sea pollution, and increasing agricultural efficiency.
The seven satellites in the Greek constellation will gather data from a multisensor instrument suite in low earth orbit, including very-high resolution optical multispectral and hyperspectral cameras, IoT and Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers.
The programme will be delivered in partnership with the European Space Agency and complement existing systems such as EU Copernicus, while being fully compatible with the Atlantic Constellation.
‘By investing in both capacity-buying and capacity-building space programs, our aim is to stimulate local high-tech space industries, foster job creation, retain our skilled engineers and space experts in the country and attract additional talent,” says the Greek minister for digital governance Dimitris Papastergiou, “the development of cutting-edge satellite technology will cultivate a sustainable economic framework that integrates advanced science and technology sectors, bolstering long-term economic resilience in the country.”
Open Cosmos was founded in 2015 with a mission to address global sustainability challenges by making actionable information from space available to everyone. Part of this vision is the OpenConstellation, a mutualised constellation, set to become the largest shared infrastructure in space. Greece is set to join in this global partnership of nations and companies in the private sector, exchanging valuable data in respect of disaster responses and environmental monitoring.
The satellites will be built and operated by Open Cosmos Aegean, a new manufacturing centre which will enhance sovereign capabilities in satellite technologies and attract further investment to the country. By overseeing regional sales and complementing other European operations, it will play a crucial role in future European and international programmes.
Dr Maria Kalama, Director of Open Cosmos Aegean, said: “We have created a vibrant ecosystem of suppliers and service providers around us, in every country we are present, and Greece will be no exception. We would like to thank all partners for their contribution to securing this contract, and in particular our main collaborators in Greece, Nova ICT, EMTECH-Space, the Libre Space Foundation, Planetek Hellas, Adamant Composites and Priority consultants.”
Simonetta Cheli, director of the Earth Observation programmes at ESA stated: “The assignment of the development of the Greek Constellation to Open Cosmos is a proof of the Agency’s continuous commitment in supporting National initiatives from the ESA Member States, in close coordination with the National Authorities and on compressed timescales. ESA has the unique ability to maximise the cross-benefit of all such initiatives by providing a unified framework for observations exchange among and for the benefit of Member States.”
Open Cosmos is building satellites in Portugal which will also monitor the Atlantic Coast. Critical data gathered through satellite monitoring will become part of the DataCosmos platform, which offers AI-powered data analysis from a growing range of satellite sources and analytic partners to lower costs and simplify access to EO data
