Open Cosmos is moving forward with a significant expansion of its production presence in Greece, launching new facilities of 4,000 sq.m., while at the same time planning to increase its workforce eightfold by 2030, with the aim of strengthening domestic satellite production and serving international markets.
The new development plan, presented at an event in Athens, comes less than a month after the completion of a €300 million funding round and three months after the successful launch of Hyperion GR-1, the first of the seven satellites the company is developing as part of the National Microsatellite Program.
It is worth noting that, among others, two Greek investment schemes participated in the new funding round, Sustainable Forward Capital (SFC) and Ireon Ventures, as well as international investors with a strong connection to the Greek innovation ecosystem, such as Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF Partners) and Endeavor Catalyst Fund.
The plan provides for a significant expansion of the company’s production base in Greece, with new facilities totaling 4,000 sq.m., which will include in the first phase a 600 sq.m. clean room, as well as new office spaces. At the same time, Open Cosmos Αegean plans to increase its staff from about 40 employees today to more than 300 by 2030.
This plan is part of Open Cosmos’s broader European strategy for the expansion of mass satellite production capability and the acceleration of the development and provision of its services through the OpenOrbit, ConnectedCosmos, OpenConstellation and DataCosmos products. These activities cover the sectors of integrated satellite missions, secure connectivity, Earth Observation, and the provision of actionable data.
The company currently has four production bases in Europe, one of which is in Greece, while the new funding will support the further strengthening of engineering, production, and software teams in our country as well.
Aleix Megias Homar, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company, referred to Open Cosmos’s transition from building customized satellites to an industrial production model, explaining that this has been one of the group’s key priorities over the last 12 months. As he noted, the goal is for satellite production to acquire characteristics similar to those of drone manufacturing.
According to him, Open Cosmos has already developed this model at its four production facilities, reaching by May 2026 a total construction rate of one satellite per day. As he argued, this is a capability no other company in Europe has, while similar production rates are found in the US and probably in China.
The company seeks to transfer the same production model to Greece as well, so that it can serve both the needs of the Greek state and international markets. At the same time, Mr. Homar expressed the expectation that new contracts for the construction of next-generation Earth Observation satellites, which will be carried out from Open Cosmos’s Greek base, will soon be announced.
Hyperion GR-1 and the next missions
In July, Hyperion GR-1 was successfully launched, the first of the seven satellites that Open Cosmos Αegean is developing as part of the National Microsatellite Program and one of the two satellites with which the development of the OpenConstellation 1.0 constellation began.
During the event, images captured by Hyperion GR-1 from its final orbit were presented publicly for the first time, while the remaining six satellites of the Greek program are either ready for launch or in the final stages of assembly.
As Maria Kalama, Managing Director of Open Cosmos Αegean, noted during the event, the decision to create a satellite production unit in Greece about two years ago constituted a significant risk for the company, which, as she emphasized, proved to be the right one. She made special reference to Hyperion GR-1, pointing out that it is not only the first satellite built at the Greek facilities, but also the most advanced one the Open Cosmos group has developed to date overall.
International expansion and ConnectedCosmos
According to Open Cosmos Αegean’s plan, the goal of the new investment is to strengthen its presence in Greece as an integrated hub for satellite missions, from design and manufacturing to satellite operation and the exploitation of their data. Earth Observation will remain a core pillar of its activity, with parallel emphasis on the development of Artificial Intelligence capabilities and onboard satellite data processing.
Over a three-year horizon, the company plans to significantly increase the number of missions that will be carried out from Greece, both in Earth Observation and in telecommunications, while also leveraging the Greek base to serve international markets, with emphasis on Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
This activity already has a strong export-oriented character, as the Open Cosmos Αegean team in Pallini develops technology not only for Greek missions, but also for international clients. At the same time, it participates in the design and development of subsystems for ConnectedCosmos, the company’s low-orbit telecommunications infrastructure.
According to the announced plan, the ConnectedCosmos constellation will consist of a core of 192 satellites, with more than 96 expected to be in orbit by the end of 2028. Its development is a central part of Open Cosmos’s strategy to strengthen secure and resilient space connectivity in Europe, combined with the company’s Earth Observation and IoT capabilities.
Partnerships with Greek businesses
Open Cosmos continues to invest in a production model that emphasizes close cooperation with the Greek space ecosystem. A characteristic example is its partnerships with ELFONκαι την Adamant Composites for the production of subsystems at its existing facilities.
The expansion of Open Cosmos’s facilities does not alter the partnership strategy the company follows in Greece, with 13 Greek businesses participating in the existing program. On the contrary, it creates new opportunities for strengthening the domestic industrial base and developing joint projects of high added value.
Through the further development of partnerships with the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAB), Greek companies, research centers, universities, and other technology partners, Open Cosmos seeks to strengthen Greek capabilities in the space sector. At the same time, its goal is to facilitate international partners wishing to develop activity in Greece.
For his part, the Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Dimitris Papastergiou, focused on the role of the National Microsatellite Program in the development of the domestic space ecosystem, noting that Greece already has 18 microsatellites in orbit, while the rest are also expected. As he stressed, the country is no longer limited to consuming space technology, but is producing innovation.
At the same time, he also referred to the new space program HELLAS-SPACE 2.0, for which resources of €350 million have been secured.