Greece’s “lift-off” into space has now become a literal reality with the launch of the country’s 18th micro-satellite into orbit, Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou commented on Tuesday, at the Greek Space Tech Forum 2026 taking place at the Athens Conservatoire.
This historic step, he added, “is truly only the start”.

Papastergiou highlighted the country’s “space counter-offensive” and said his ambition, as an engineer, was “always to respond to real, existing problems with real solutions” and listed benefits such as protection from the climate crisis, transparency in agricultural subsidies and others are practical, hands-on applications of the new technology.

“The message is clear: space is no longer just a distant theory but a pillar of national strength and day-to-day utility,” he added.

Papastergiou said the outcome had vindicated the government’s decision to scrap the old space programme and start anew. Now, with the completion of the first phase and the launch of Hellas Space 2, he said, Greece was acquiring autonomy with respect to data.

“We are no longer only borrowing information. We have our own satellites to chart what is happening on the ground at any given moment,” he said, citing the recent natural disasters from Storms Daniel, Elias and Ianos as an illustration of why this was important.

In addition, he referred to the contribution of technology to improving and modernising state inspections:
“We have gone through a year with a great deal of OPEKEPE [the Greek agricultural payments agency]… This is the answer to all these issues and to the long-standing weaknesses of the state,” he said.

The goal, he said, is for: “the genuine farmer who wanted to remain on his land to see the subsidies go to him, rather than to some opportunist.”
In closing, Papastergiou focused on the human dimension of technology, expressing his satisfaction with the new generation of scientists entering the sector.