Poland reaches for the stars: ESA to open a center in Warsaw
13.07.2026
"Poland is Europe's champion when it comes to investing in space and the future," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the European Space Agency announced that another of its centers will be established in Warsaw. It is the first such center outside the group of the Agency's founding states. This strategic decision confirms Poland's growing role in the European space sector and in building Europe's security and technological sovereignty. Among other things, the new center will develop dual-use technologies and support innovation and crisis management. The center's creation is accompanied by record government investment in the Polish space sector, intended to make it one of the new engines of economic growth.
Warsaw, a new pillar of Europe's space sector
A European Space Agency (ESA) technology center will be established in Warsaw.
Poland will be one of the European countries in which ESA has one of its centers. It is the first country on the eastern flank of the European Union to have the opportunity for such formalized cooperation - Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a statement to the media.
ESA currently maintains facilities in Germany (two), the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the United Kingdom. The Warsaw center will be the first to be established beyond the borders of the states that are signatories to the convention establishing ESA.
Poland's successes in space are also Europe's successes in space. Poland is one of the leaders in areas such as investment in security, the defense industry, and also the space industry. The space and defense industries are very closely linked. One cannot be done effectively without the other, and vice versa - said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.
As Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed, Poland's role today also lies in integrating European efforts so that Europe can compete effectively with the United States and China in developing space technologies.
If we are really serious about Polish sovereignty, about European sovereignty, then Europe cannot fall behind the United States, and especially China, when it comes to the ability to explore space for the benefit of people as well - the head of government emphasized.
The ESA center in Warsaw will focus on security and on developing dual-use technologies, used in both civilian and military infrastructure. The center will develop solutions that strengthen Europe's capacity to anticipate, respond and recover in crisis situations.
Space, a new engine of growth for the Polish economy
Poland is currently the fastest-growing economy in Europe. To sustain this pace, the government is consistently investing in new engines of growth, among them the space sector. As a result, Poland is becoming one of Europe's leaders in developing technology and activity in space.
Every euro invested in the space sector returns six- or sevenfold, so it is a good investment in the Polish economy - said Minister of Finance and the Economy Andrzej Domański.
Between 2023 and 2025, Poland increased its contribution to the Agency as much as tenfold. For 2026-2028, our financial contribution to optional programs (e.g. the development of satellite-data-based services and robotics) has been doubled to EUR 550 million (over PLN 2 billion).
One of the European Space Agency's goals is to build the first Polish spacecraft, which will be able to provide much greater transport capacity between Earth and satellites, as well as satellite servicing and refuelling - Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced.
Minister Andrzej Domański reported that the PFR Group will set up a fund worth PLN 500 million to support investment in space-sector enterprises. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego will launch a dedicated financing line for local governments to develop space-sector infrastructure in selected cities.