Greece is shifting from a country that uses satellite services to one that produces space technology — marking a strategic leap with the national Hellas-Space 2.0 initiative and a major investment by Finnish Earth observation company ICEYE.
A New Industrial Hub in Greece
ICEYE plans to build a large-scale satellite manufacturing facility in Greece — its largest production site worldwide and one of Europe’s most significant satellite assembly centers. Designed to produce up to 150 satellites annually, the facility will span over 5,000 square meters and create more than 250 high-skilled jobs.
“We aim to establish in Greece a major hub for production, research, development, and innovation — serving the global space industry,” said Vasilis Haloulakos, ICEYE’s Head of Operations in Greece.
Hellas-Space 2.0: A €350 Million National Strategy
The ICEYE investment forms a cornerstone of Hellas-Space 2.0, Greece’s new national space program with a budget of approximately €350 million. The initiative seeks to harness space technologies across critical sectors, including:
- Natural disaster prevention and management
- Maritime surveillance
- Precision agriculture
- Border security
- Secure communications
At the program’s launch, Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou emphasized Greece’s transition into a new phase of technological sovereignty. “In recent years, we built essential infrastructure through our first national microsatellite program — putting Greece on orbit. Today, we take the next big step: moving from infrastructure to real, sustainable national capabilities.”
From Collaboration to Full-Scale Production
ICEYE already has a presence in Greece through the national microsatellite program, having contributed to developing Greece’s first synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. The new facility goes far beyond assembly lines — it will include dedicated test infrastructure, R&D laboratories, and capabilities for developing critical satellite system technologies.
“This is an integrated industrial unit capable of producing hundreds of satellites per year — while simultaneously hosting cutting-edge research on next-generation space technologies developed in Greece for ICEYE’s global satellite fleet. It represents significant added value for the Greek economy,” Haloulakos added.
A Broader Vision for Space Sovereignty
The government’s broader space strategy aims to strengthen domestic capacity, foster innovation ecosystems, and position Greece as a credible partner in European and global space initiatives — transforming the country from a user of space data into a producer of advanced space systems.