ESA and Poland to establish a new civil security and resilience centre in Warsaw

The announcement was made during a joint press conference held in the Polish capital on 13 July by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk and Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domański.

The future ESA centre will contribute to the implementation of ESA’s growing activities in security and resilience. Located in Warsaw, it will operate in complementarity with ESA establishments and centres across Europe, including the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) in Belgium, contributing to a coherent and coordinated European approach to emerging security challenges.

“The new ESA Centre will mark a new chapter for ESA and a major step for Poland which has rapidly become one of the driving forces in Europe’s space sector. As Europe continues to strengthen its resilience in an increasingly challenging environment, the Centre will help build the capabilities we need to protect our interests, support our citizens and act with confidence. This new ESA centre in Warsaw will contribute to that ambition, while building on Poland’s growing expertise and commitment to space,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.

“The choice of Poland as the location for the new ESA Centre means that Poland now has exceptional potential for the development of space technologies. This is an expression of trust in Poland, its institutions, businesses and the scientific community,” said Minister Andrzej Domański.

The announcement follows the signature of a Letter of Intent between ESA and the Republic of Poland during ESA’s Council at Ministerial Level in Bremen, Germany, in November 2025 (CM25), which launched joint work on the establishment of such a facility. A joint ESA-Polish Task Force was subsequently created to define the centre’s objectives, scope and implementation framework.

The centre will build on Poland’s growing contribution to European space activities. Since joining ESA in 2012, Poland has significantly expanded its space capabilities and industrial base. The country has increased its participation in ESA programmes, significantly boosting its subscriptions at CM25 and committing to ESA’s European Resilience from Space (ERS) initiative, which aims to strengthen Europe’s resilience through faster access to reliable data, secure communications and more effective decision-making in times of crisis.

ESA and Poland will continue working together in the coming months with the objective of finalising the arrangements required for the centre to become operational. Preparations are under way to launch a number of pre-operational activities from 2027, paving the way for the centre’s gradual development and future operations.