Poland signals stellar ambitions as it increases its contribution to the European Space Agency

20 Sep 2023 | News

The step up in funding is an opportunity to take a bigger role in ESA’s projects and grow Poland’s space sector. But the industry says without a national Polish space programme it will lack a sense of direction

By Anna Rzhevkina

Poland is to increase its contribution to the European Space Agency. Photo: ESA

Poland is set to drastically increase its contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) in an attempt to secure a more ambitious role in international space projects. The decision came as a pleasant surprise for the industry, but there are concerns about the absence of clear objectives and whether the higher level of funding will be maintained.

The Polish contribution to ESA for 2023-2025 was initially set at €132 million, of which €81 million is the basic subscription and €51 million was designated for participation in ESA optional programmes. Then in July, the Polish National Space Agency (POLSA) announced the contribution to optional programmes would increase to €200 million and in addition, Poland will sign bilateral agreements worth €95 million.

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