Hellas Sat and Thales have officially sealed their collaboration with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation, marking a pivotal step in the development of the payload for the Hellas Sat 5 satellite, expected to be launched from the French Guiana Space Center by the end of 2027.This satellite marks a transition to the new generation, harnessing the power of the optical spectrum and laser technology.
In practical terms, this translates to remarkable data transfer speeds, not only between the satellite and Earth but also between satellites themselves. Kendeas Karantonis, Hellas Sat’s Space Program Manager, emphasizes the significance of this technological leap, stating, “To grasp the magnitude of the advancement, internet speed will operate in the Gbps scale, whereas today it is in the Mbps range.”
The investment is expected to bring multiple benefits to Greece, contributing to the development of necessary infrastructure and attracting specialized scientists from abroad thus helping to reverse the brain drain phenomenon.
Through this specific project, the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to demonstrate its strong presence in the space economy, as it represents the world’s first known development of a payload based on the optical spectrum. “Beyond the unprecedented speeds it will provide to networks, this technology is much more secure than existing ones, as the laser makes signal interruption nearly impossible,” explains Karantonis.
