Satellite launch shows off Poland's thriving space industry

The EagleEye satellite successfully launched into low-orbit on 16 August 2024, becoming the first satellite to be developed by the Polish Space Agency (POLSA). 

EagleEye was designed entirely within Poland and built by a consortium led by Polish company Creotech, demonstrating the impressive growth of the Polish space sector in recent years. This follows from the ambitious Polish Space Strategy, which aims to take up 3% of European markets by 2030, launch a mission to the moon, and has already increased contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA) with the goal of becoming a bigger player in international projects.

Most notably, the upcoming Project Camila - a recent agreement to produce and launch a constellation of satellites - will be invaluable to Polish companies looking to gain experience in satellite production with technical assistance from the ESA.

The growth of Poland’s space sector provides some reassurance that, while still behind the United States, the European space economy is active.  European nations are key players in the space industry with continued potential for further growth.  

This is something to bear in mind for innovators when considering the territorial reach of their intellectual property (for example, through the filing of a European patent application).