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Poland’s first national military satellite will be launched into space this November, the defence minister has announced during the opening of the country’s first satellite mission control centre.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the new centre will advance Poland’s “ability to observe, influence and, above all, ensure security”. The country has in recent years made increasing efforts to move into the space sector.
28 sierpnia wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz, wiceministrowie: @CTomczyk oraz Stanisław Wziątek wzięli udział w uroczystym otwarciu Centrum Kontroli Misji Satelitarnych. Przy tej okazji odbyła się prezentacja operacyjnego wykorzystania Segmentu Naziemnego @WAT_edu – połączenie na… pic.twitter.com/NCP2h3wt1A
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) August 28, 2025
The new mission control centre is located at Warsaw’s Military University of Technology (WAT). In November, it will oversee “the first Polish satellites launched into orbit”, said Kosiniak-Kamysz.
He added that Poland’s planned array of satellites – with further launches taking place beyond November – will “allow for imaging regardless of the time – day or night – and regardless of weather”.
“Heavy equipment, tanks, aircraft – all of this is very necessary, but we are well aware that Poland’s secure future lies in modern technologies: in cyberspace, in space, in artificial intelligence, and in drones,” he added.
“Information is fundamental. Databases are today’s most powerful currency, not only in the world of security, but also in the world of economics and development. The more data we acquire, the more meticulously we can process it, the faster we can implement and utilise it – the safer we will be.”
Last year, the largest and most technologically advanced Polish satellite to date successfully reached orbit, from where it will provide high-resolution satellite images that can be used by various sectors, from agriculture to the military.
The satellite was jointly manufactured by three entities. Private firms Creotech and Scanway built the satellite platform and telescope, while the Space Research Centre at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) supplied the telescope’s computer and developed the algorithms that control the satellite.
Meanwhile, in April this year, Creotech signed a €52 million (222 million zloty) contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to build and launch a constellation of Earth observation satellites.
In June, astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski became just the second Pole to travel to space after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. He then spent 14 days on a scientific mission aboard the International Space Station before safely returning to Earth.
The largest and most technologically advanced Polish satellite to date successfully reached orbit on Friday.
It will provide high-resolution images that can be used by various sectors, from agriculture to the militaryhttps://t.co/SnCasAYJkb
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 19, 2024
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. She is a member of the European Press Prize’s preparatory committee. She was 2022 Fellow at the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program at City University of New York. In 2024, she graduated from the Advanced Leadership Programme for Top Talents at the Center for Leadership. She has previously contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy and Duży Format.
