| Polska Agencja Kosmiczna(Polish) | |
 Logo | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | POLSA |
| Formed | 26 September 2014; 10 years ago (2014-09-26) |
| Type | Space agency |
| Headquarters | Gdańsk, Poland |
| Official language | Polish |
| Administrator | Grzegorz Wrochna |
| Owner | Poland |
| Annual budget | 42.7 millionPLN (2021)[1] |
| Website | polsa |
ThePolish Space Agency (POLSA;Polish:Polska Agencja Kosmiczna, PAK) is thespace agency of Poland, administered by theMinistry of Economic Development and Technology. It is a member of theEuropean Space Agency. The agency is focused on developing satellite networks and space technologies in Poland.[2] It was established on 26 September 2014,[2] and its headquarters are located inGdańsk, Poland.[3]
During the Soviet era, Poland's space activities were heavily influenced by its relationship with theSoviet Union. Poland participated in theInterkosmos programme, a Soviet initiative to include socialist countries in space research and exploration.[4] Through the Interkosmos programme, Polish scientists played key roles in developing satellite technology.[5] One key milestone was the travel ofMirosław Hermaszewski to the Soviet space stationSalyut 6 in 1978, being the first and only Polish national to travel to space as of 2024.[6]
After thedissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Poland took steps torwards developing an independent space sector, signing a co-operation agreement with theEuropean Space Agency on the peaceful use of outer space in 1994, which was later expanded on in 2002.[7] Joining theEuropean Union in 2004 and becoming a co-operating state in 2007 led to Poland's increasing participation in ESA programmes, and in July 2012 the ESA Council agreed to Poland joining the European Space Agency. The country officially became the 20th member of the ESA in November of the same year.[8]
The first Polish satellite,PW-Sat, was developed by students at theWarsaw University of Technology and launched in February 2012, with the goal of finding low-cost solutions for de-orbiting satellites.[9] In the following years, thenanosatellitesLem (2013) andHeweliusz (2014) were put into orbit as part of theBRITE programme by theSpace Research Centre of Polish Academy of Sciences.[8]
On September 26, 2014, an act was passed by theSejm establishing the Polish Space Agency (POLSA)[10] as a branch of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology. It started operating with a full team at the end of 2015. In November 2014, professor Marek Banaszkiewicz, who previously served as director of the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences became the first President of the newly formed agency.[11][12] The vice-president for science became professor Marek Moszyński from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology of theGdańsk University of Technology, and the Vice-President for Defense - General Lech Majewski.
POLSA participates in a number of international programmes, such as the ESA'sSpace Situational Awareness Programme, focused on monitoringspace debris and other objects approaching Earth; and theENTRUSTED project, focused on providing securesatellite communication for and between government agencies within EU member states.[8][13]
On October 26, 2021, Poland became the 13th nation to join theArtemis Accords, collaborating withNASA to return men to the Moon by 2025 as part of theArtemis program.Grzegorz Wrochna, President of POLSA, stated that although joining the accord does not guarantee a Polish astronaut will go to the Moon, it will ensure greater cooperation with global aerospace efforts, and will ensure that "Polish equipment, Polish instruments will fly to the moon and to other bodies."[14][15] As part of the Artemis program, Polish firmVigo Photonics developed the infrared radiation detectors for theOrion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, while thePAN Nuclear Physics Institute developed ionizing radiation detectors.[16]
At theSpace Symposium 38 inColorado Springs on April 19, 2023,U.S. Army generalJames H. Dickinson signed a treaty with POLSA president Grzegorz Wrochna for Poland to join theSpace Situational Awareness Programme.[17]
On August 9, 2023 POLSA signed a deal withAxiom Space to send a Polish astronaut to theInternational Space Station aboardAxiom Mission 4, with the likely candidate being seen asSławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, then the only Polish member of theEuropean Space Agency'sAstronaut Corps. He will be the first Polish astronaut sinceMirosław Hermaszewski flew onSoyuz 30.[18] Shortly after POLSA contributed €200 million to the ESA, an increase from their expected contribution of €132 million as POLSA announced they seek to control a 3% stake in the European space market by 2030.[19]
On February 5, 2025, it was officially announced that Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was a member of the Axiom 4 crew as part of the stand alone missionIgnis, a joint venture between POLSA and the ESA.[20]Polish Prime MinisterDonald Tusk announced at the missions unveiling that "Space is no longer just a realm of imagination. It is becoming a domain where Polish ambitions will also be present."[21]Ingis will also include 13 Polish scientific experiments covering cover topics such as the effects of microgravity on the human immune system, the development of cosmic radiation sensors, and the stability of nanomaterials in space conditions.[21]
On September 30 Wrochna announced that POLSA aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, presumably onArtemis 6. He also announced that Poland will be developing native launch capabilities, as well as native satellites to help the Polish economy.[22][23]
On March 6, 2018 the POLSA announced that they were planning on investingzł1.43 billion over an eight-year period as part of the "National Space Program" project which would allow POLSA to coordinate with preexisting private space entities in Poland. The founding would have also funded an astronomical observation satellite, a SAR microsatellite, and a number of other R&D projects.Piotr Suszyński, the vice president for defense at POLSA, also stated that the project would promote international cooperation with theEuropean Space Agency (ESA). POLSA's funding request would not pass.[24]
On March 18, 2022, POLSA signed a letter of intent withVirgin Orbit in a bid to secure a domestic launch capability. POLSA planned on launching a series of microsatellites, however, theRussian invasion of Ukraine shuttered any plans to use Russian rockets to launch the probes. Wrochna also explained that Poland has no physical location for a traditional vertical launch pad, as any typical space launch will cause debris to fall on populated areas. Virgin's Orbit, and by extensionLauncherOne, were defunct before a Polish flight could take place.[25]
On March 2, 2023, POLSA's vice-presidentMichal Wiercinski attendedAustralian International Airshow in order to win not only a launch site for future Polish missions, likely theRAAF Woomera Range Complex, but also to win over subcontractors to design Polish satellites, namely theEagleEye Earth observation spacecraft. This comes as tensions flare between Poland, andNATO againstRussia, and theCSTO, as Poland sees the development of Earth observation satellites as an issue of national security.[26]EagleEye would be launched on theTransporter-11Falcon 9 mission, being the first Polish Satellite developed by POLSA.[27]
On October 31, 2023, POLSA announced a partnership with the ESA which would see a Polishsatellite constellation launched by 2027. The constellation will consist of at least four satellites, three optoelectronic and one radar, and is expected to cost $87 million. The satellites will be designed and manufactured in conjunction with the ESA. The goal of the constellation is in the monitoring and management of land use, agriculture, the environment, infrastructure, water, and emergencies. These will be the first ever Polish governmental satellites, with the constellation using the working nameCamilla.[28]
ThePIAST constellation are a group of three identical 6U Earth Observation nanosatellites announced in 2021 and developed by a consortium led byCreotech Instruments guided by theMilitary University of Technology and operated by POLSA.[29] The project costszł70 million, 40% of which was allocated to Creotech for the manufacturing and is expected to have a five-meter resolution.[30][31] The satellites will be used for targeting forJASSM-ER missiles orATACMS missiles.[32] Additionally, they will also be used to coordinate troop movements and management of missions.[33] The constellation was planned to be launched in the second half of 2024, however, that would be delayed to the first half of 2025.[29][34]
On July 4, 2016, POLSA announced that they were signing a letter of cooperation with theChinese National Space Administration to foster developments in science and technology in the two countries and promoting cooperation between Polish and Chinese technology developers. Additionally, the deal outlined Polish experiments being potentially launched on Chinese rockets, and potential Polish experiments to theTiangong space station.[35]
On November 1,TelePIX, aSouth Korean space startup announced they will be working with the Polish nanosatellite companySatRevolution, in conjunction with the South KoreanMinistry of Science and ICT and POLSA, to develop a 6UCubeSat namedBlueBon. It is scheduled to launch in June 2024 and will have a 3.8-meter optical camera to collect Earth observation data.[36] BlueBon would launch on January 14 2025 onboard theFalcon 9Transporter-12.[37]
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