The latest figures were announced at a two-day conference celebrating Poland’s 10 years in the ESA, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Co-organised by Poland’s Ministry of Development and Technology and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the event has attracted government representatives, Polish and EU officials, space industry executives and scientists, reporters were told.
Deputy Development and Technology Minister Kamila Król told the Warsaw conference that Poland became a full member of the ESA in 2012, but the country's links with the agency date back to 1984.
“Becoming a member of the ESA has paved the way for the creation of the space industry in our country, including through participation in ESA projects and programmes, as well as gaining access to the research infrastructure,” Król said.
Meanwhile, POLSA’s CEO Grzegorz Wrochna hailed Poland’s entry to the ESA as the beginning “of the era of modern expansion.”
Over 80 space missions supplied with Polish tech
Wrochna said that since the country joined the EU space agency, “over 80 space missions have been equipped with Polish apparatus, more than 100 technologies have been developed, and a whole space industry has sprung up, totalling almost 400 companies, including dozens that specialise in space technology.”
Wrochna added that the space industry stimulated innovation, which was later transferred to other sectors.
In all, more than 300 Polish firms and institutions work with the ESA, including over 150 that participate directly in space projects, with the contracts worth over EUR 140 million, reporters were told.
New ESA facility in Poland
On Friday, Polish and EU officials are expected to sign an agreement on the creation of the ESA’s new business incubation centre in Poland. The facility will provide support to space industry start-ups, according to the IAR news agency.
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Source: IAR, polsa.gov.pl, gov.pl
