Space tech startup Open Cosmos to build Greece’s first flagship satellite constellation

Open Cosmos, the UK-based startup that uses satellites to fight climate change, has secured a contract of €60mn to build seven satellites for Greece.

Dubbed Optical Constellation, this will be the country’s first flagship satellite project.

The satellites in the Greek constellation will collect data in low Earth orbit, aiming to improve public services. Use cases range from providing fresh insights for the land registry to increasing agricultural efficiency and combating sea pollution.

The spacecraft will carry a suite of instruments for daily data collection. These include high-resolution optical multispectral and hyperspectral cameras as well as Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers, alongside on-board AI systems to optimise efficiency.

The project will be run in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and complementary initiatives such as Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation programme.

“Greece is making significant steps in space,” said Dimitris Papastergiou, the country’s Minister of Digital Governance, adding that the development of satellite technology can bolster long-term economic resilience.

The contract marks a significant milestone for Open Cosmos, bringing it one step closer to its vision of OpenConstellation, a shared constellation, set to become the largest infrastructure of its kind in space. Following the contract, Greece will also join the global partnership.

Founded in 2015, Open Cosmos has emerged a key player in the European space sector. Some of its missions include a satellite constellation in Portugal and the development of the UK pathfinder satellite for the Atlantic Constellation.