Poland is investing in new satellites, a ground station, and a data center.

The Polish Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy has announced its intent to buy six satellites and build a ground station to service them in Poland, at a combined cost of PLN2 billion ($548 million). It will be deployed in October.

The investment is part of Poland’s National Reconstruction Plan (the KPO), and will supplement Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation on top of the country’s required contribution, as well as the nation’s own ambition to expand its sovereign satellite communications capacity.

“We are introducing another breakthrough investment to the KPO,” Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Polish head of the Ministry of Funds and regional policy, wrote on X. "PLN2 billion for six satellites managed by Poland and their data processing center located in Poland. This will strengthen Poland’s position within the European satellite communication cohort."

Further details on locations and specifications of the ground stations and data center weren't shared.

Pełczyńska-Nałęcz continued: "The Polish Army, the Police, the Fire Brigade, the Border Guard, and the foreign service will have access to secure and sovereign communication, which will not be disturbed by Putin. [Polish companies will also] be able to join global supply chains for space products and services.”

Earlier in the year, on August 28, the head of Poland’s Ministry of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, spoke at the inauguration of the Polish Satellite Mission Control Center at the Warsaw Military University of Technology about the department’s plans to purchase Earth observation satellites from ICEYE, with their launch scheduled for November, as well as produce Polish-made nanosatellites for its PIAST programme.

“Today’s launch of the Satellite Missions Control Center is one of the key moments of gaining the ability to observe, influence, and to ensure security. We have four programs: GLOB, microGLOB, microSAR and PIAST,” the minister said at the time. “Each has the task of launching satellites of different sizes and uses. We are building a team that aims to respond to the needs of a changing world. We will be ahead of the curve, not following it.”

ICEYE signed a PLN860m ($235m) contract with the Polish Armament Agency in May concerning the purchase of three Earth observation satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar technology, intended to be launched in 2025, with the potential to be expanded by another three satellites, which would be launched in 2026.

Poland devotes a whopping 4.7 percent of its GDP to defense, outpacing many of its European peers, and other states under the Warsaw Pact. As its allies prepare to devote unprecedented capital to defense and infrastructure, there appears to have never been a more conducive moment for Poland to invest in space.

DCD has translated the Ministers’ remarks from their original Polish.