Warsaw chosen as site for ESA’s new European Space Agency centre

Warsaw ESA centre dual‑use space technology Poland space funding European Space Agency 2027 launch

Poland’s government announced on 13 July 2026 that Warsaw will host a new European Space Agency (ESA) centre, the first ESA facility located outside the agency’s founding member states. The decision was made at a press conference in the Copernicus Science Centre and was presented by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Finance Minister Andrzej Domański and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. Warsaw beat six other Polish cities – Katowice, Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań and Łódź – after a review of scientific, technical and infrastructural criteria.

The centre will focus on dual‑use technologies, satellite communications, Earth‑observation, crisis‑management and security‑related research. Poland has pledged a total ESA contribution of €731 million for 2026‑2028, including €550 million for optional programmes, and will create a state‑run fund of more than 500 million zł to invest in domestic space companies. Operations are slated to begin in 2027.

Regional leaders in Silesia criticised the choice, arguing that former mining sites could host complementary space‑technology projects, while astronaut‑engineer Sławosz Uznański‑Wiśniewski highlighted the need for skilled personnel to fully exploit the new centre’s potential.