Warsaw officially challenges European leaders in the Space sector. The inauguration of the Space Research Programme of the Łukasiewicz Research Network is first and foremost a hard business declaration. With a budget estimated at PLN 2.4 billion over the next decade, the project is set to transform the dispersed competences of 22 institutes into a consolidated technological powerhouse led by the Institute of Aviation (Łukasiewicz – ILOT).
From a market perspective, the key word is ‘autonomy’. Poland is ceasing to aspire merely to be a supplier of components to giants such as Airbus or Thales Alenia Space, and is beginning to build its own value chain. The strategy is based on three pillars: satellite platforms, launch systems and so-called payloads. It is an end-to-end approach to ensure that Polish companies have a real stake in a global cake worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
The programme is tailored to the requirements of modern geopolitics, as can be seen in the emphasis on dual-use technology. Solutions developed for civilian purposes, such as advanced Earth imaging or green propulsion, will find direct application in defence systems. The project’s funding, combining own resources, defence funds and private capital, suggests that the state is looking for a public-private partnership model that minimises investment risk for business.
Adam Okniński, Ph.D., programme coordinator, rightly points out that space is now ‘fuel’ for AI, Big Data and quantum technologies. This is where the Polish IT sector can find new space for expansion. Particularly promising is the niche market for servicing satellites in orbit – an area with huge commercial potential, where the barriers to entry are still high and competition is lower than in the production of satellites themselves.
The first test of the credibility of the new strategy will be the SPARK satellite mission, planned for the next two years. If Łukasiewicz proves that he can manage such a complex project within his own structures, Poland may permanently enter the premier league of the European space industry. This is a chance to go from being a ‘promising emerging market’ to becoming a technology hub that not only sends people into space, but above all makes money from it.
