POLSKA AGENCJA KOSMICZNA

Their core work

POLSA is the Polish Space Agency, responsible for Poland's national space policy and its integration into European space programmes. In H2020, they contribute to Europe's space infrastructure — particularly Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) services, space robotics roadmapping, and secure governmental satellite communications. They also support space ecosystem development by running acceleration and mentorship programmes for startups in the space sector.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

POLSA's early H2020 work (2014-2017) centred on strategic technology planning — roadmapping space robotics, on-orbit servicing, and modular satellite architectures through the PERASPERA series. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward operational space services: SST infrastructure for tracking objects in orbit, secure government satellite communications, and building the commercial space ecosystem through startup acceleration. The trajectory shows a move from long-term technology planning toward delivering operational capabilities and growing the broader space economy.

POLSA is moving from strategic planning roles toward operational space service delivery and commercial ecosystem development, making them an increasingly practical partner for applied space projects.

How they like to work

POLSA participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have not coordinated any H2020 projects. With 38 unique partners across 18 countries, they operate in broad European consortia rather than tight bilateral arrangements. This profile is typical of a national space agency that brings institutional authority, national infrastructure access, and policy alignment rather than deep technical specialization to consortia.

POLSA has built a wide European network of 38 partners across 18 countries, reflecting the pan-European nature of EU space programmes like EUSST and PERASPERA. Their partnerships span the major ESA member states and newer space-active nations in Central Europe.

What sets them apart

As Poland's national space agency, POLSA provides something most research centres cannot: direct access to national space policy, infrastructure, and institutional frameworks. Their combination of SST operational experience, robotics roadmapping background, and recent startup ecosystem work makes them a bridge between EU-level space programmes and Poland's growing space sector. For consortium builders, they bring both institutional credibility and a gateway to Central European space capabilities.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 2-3SST2018-20
  By far their largest project (EUR 5.5M EC funding), contributing to Europe's operational Space Surveillance and Tracking service — a critical piece of space safety infrastructure.
• ENTRUSTED
  Addresses the sensitive intersection of security and space — developing the roadmap for secure governmental satellite communications across Europe.
• SUN
  Represents POLSA's pivot toward commercial space ecosystem building, running hackathons and acceleration programmes for space startups.