APOGEE STAFF
Poland said it will orbit its first military observation satellites in 2025, one in a number of moves to strengthen the NATO nation’s Army in response to the invasion of neighboring Ukraine by Russia.
The series of new satellites will feature radar and optical technology from both foreign and domestic sources, Cezary Tomczyk, Poland’s deputy defense minister, said during a February 2024 news briefing reported by Reuters. Other plans include establishing a Polish space force.
The news came 14 months after Poland announced it would obtain from France two high-resolution Earth observation satellites to help its armed forces recognize military threats and natural disasters. A deal was signed with Toulouse-based Airbus and a launch was planned for 2027.
Poles remain the keenest supporters of Ukraine’s military campaign, according to survey results announced in February 2024 by the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations. That the war continues more than two years after the invasion has tempered Polish support, but in February 2024, Prime Minister Donald Tusk reiterated at a European Union subgroup meeting that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is a war criminal … the only reason of the war in Ukraine is Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”