Creotech Instruments S.A., in cooperation with the Military University of Technology in Poland, recently initiated the process of building a constellation of three satellites.
The cooperation takes place as part of the PIAST project, which is an element of the plan to create a national system for the Polish Armed Forces EO needs. This will be the first commercial implementation of the HyperSat satellite platform that was developed by the Company.
PIAST (Polish ImAging SaTellites) is a project conducted as part of the Szafir program, the main task of which is an even better use of the potential for cooperation between scientific institutions and private entrepreneurs in the field of developing modern and innovative solutions key to the safety and defence of the state. Financed from resources of the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) the project is realized by a consortium of companies and research institutions (Creotech Instruments S.A., the PAN Centre for Space Research, Scanway Sp. z o.o., the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation, PCO S.A. (a company owned by the Polish Armaments Group)) under the leadership of the Military University of Technology.
Thanks to this synergy, they will be able to construct a complete satellite system of imagery intelligence that consists of satellites, a ground segment for control and obtaining data and a data processing segment. During the realization of the project, a group of technologies that will allow the building of considerably larger satellite constellations will be developed. At the same time, the creation of critical components in Poland will allow for complete control over the imagery acquisition process.
As part of the PIAST project, the company will build and deliver three satellite platforms, fully based on the firm’s original HyperSat standard. The task at hand will also consist in integrating the function of the satellites with optical telescopes and a propulsion system developed specifically for use in this undertaking.
This will be the first commercial implementation of the firm’s platform and directly from the start as a constellation. The end recipient of this project will be the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland.
Completion of the project will take roughly 48 months. The satellites – each weighing around 10 kg – will be placed in space in the year 2024 and will be the first Polish satellites, with the end recipient being the Polish military.
Creotech Instruments is the largest Polish company manufacturing and delivering space technology and specialized electronics and devices, for use in, among other areas, quantum computers, quantum cryptography, or quantum physics or high energy laboratories to the world market. Devices created by the Company have been part of 26 space sector projects, including 10 space missions – 4 of which have been realized for the European Space Agency (ESA). One of the most important Creotech projects now in development is the HyperSat satellite platform, which positions the Company among only around a dozen of companies in the world capable of offering smallsats and entire constellations of smallsats adapted to the client’s needs. In April of this year the company successfully launched its initial public offering, which raised PLN 11,285,000. The funds have been dedicated to continuing development of the EagleEye EOsatellite and raising the technological development of the HyperSat smallsat platform to the highest, technology readiness level. The company plans to create its own offer of modular satellite platforms as well as purchase a third electronics assembly line, which will allow the firm to scale up this activity. Creotech Instruments S.A. is planning to debut on the New Connect market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, which is to occur on the verge of the 3rd and 4th quarter of this year.
