Greece secures €350 million for space program and plans first astronaut within two years

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece has achieved “significant steps, even leaps” in the space sector and will receive €350 million from the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund for the next four years. The funding supports satellite operations, a growing domestic space‑technology industry and a national space strategy running to 2035.

The government highlighted concrete benefits: early detection of forest fires and other natural disasters, satellite‑based monitoring of agricultural production linked to the Cadastre for transparent subsidy allocation, and enhanced maritime surveillance for the island nation. The programme also has strategic defence value, though dual‑use applications were not detailed.

Mitsotakis said Greece will send its first astronaut, Adrianos Golémis, to the International Space Station within the next two years through cooperation with the European Space Agency. The mission will carry experiments that serve Greek research institutions and industry, and a call for research proposals will be issued soon. Investments in space are projected to generate roughly four times the economic return through innovation and high‑skill jobs, and the progress has already been recognised by EU bodies.