Poland has signaled its intent to enter the small satellite market after an official visit by the Minister of Economic Development and Technology and head of the Polish Space Agency to the Virgin Orbit facilities in Long Beach, Calif., March 16.
The Polish Space Agency sent an official letter of intent, signaling its strong interest in bringing a domestic launch capability to Poland, a development uniquely made possible through Virgin Orbit’s air-launched LauncherOne system.
The signed letter codifies the Polish government’s intent to collaborate with Virgin Orbit to conduct a detailed analysis of LauncherOne’s practical applications in support of Poland’s science and economy industries.
“For Poland, today’s event is another step towards building a sovereign satellite system, which is crucial in the current geopolitical situation. Development of new technologies, including navigation, Earth imaging or telecommunications are irreplaceable in ensuring national security and solving crisis situations,” said the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Piotr Nowak.
Having already completed three successful commercial launches from an in-land space port and having reached launch azimuths that traditional, ground-based launch systems cannot achieve from launch pads in the Western United States, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne has demonstrated its unique ability to open space launch solutions for regions where spaceflight would otherwise be limited or impractical ñ a solution made possible through a dedicated carrier aircraft and ground support systems.
“Today’s agreement marks an important step to providing assured access to space for Poland and surrounding nations–serving Polish industry, science and security,” added Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “Poland’s forward thinking is inspiring at this critical juncture for Europe and we’re honored to serve them and partner with the Polish space community to open space for good.”
President of the Polish Space Agency Grzegorz Wrochna emphasized that the signed letter is a crowning touch to several months’ period of intense negotiations, conducted in tight coordination with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.
“The demonstrated interest and concrete declarations indicate that Poland is an attractive partner for global players, such as Virgin Orbit. Even more importantly, this agreement further positions our domestic space sector in the competitive upstream segment of the international space market. Thanks to the LauncherOne technology, Poland will be able to provide launch services also to other countries in the area, in particular within the Three Seas region,” added Wrochna.
The letter of intent was signed by Wrochna and Virgin Orbit CEO, Dan Hart, in the presence of Polish Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Piotr Nowak.
Virgin Orbit is currently commencing an ambitious expansion outside of the United States. The company has previously announced plans to open the first launch capabilities for international space ports in Oita, Japan, and Alc‚ntara, Brazil, and will be launching a historic first orbital flight via its LauncherOne platform from the United Kingdom later in 2022.