Greece Launches First Thermal Satellites on SpaceX Falcon 9

The news in Greek

1. δορυφόρος  (m.)
   Τεχνητό αντικείμενο που περιφέρεται γύρω από τη Γη και στέλνει πληροφορίες. ↩︎
2. διάστημα  (n.)
   Ο χώρος πέρα από την ατμόσφαιρα της Γης, όπου βρίσκονται τα άστρα και οι πλανήτες. ↩︎
3. πύραυλος  (m.)
   Όχημα που κινείται με μεγάλη ταχύτητα και χρησιμοποιείται για να στείλει αντικείμενα στο διάστημα. ↩︎
4. χωράφι  (n.)
   Έκταση γης που χρησιμοποιείται για καλλιέργεια φυτών και σιτηρών. ↩︎
5. πείραμα  (n.)
   Δοκιμή που γίνεται για να μάθουμε κάτι νέο στην επιστήμη. ↩︎
6. σταματώ
   Κάνω κάτι να μην συνεχίζεται, βάζω τέλος σε μια κίνηση ή δραστηριότητα. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: How many satellites did Greece send into space?

Question 2: What can the satellites detect from above?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
δορυφόρος  (m.)	satellite
διάστημα  (n.)	space
πύραυλος  (m.)	rocket
χωράφι  (n.)	field
πείραμα  (n.)	experiment
σταματώ	to stop

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Greece has successfully placed its first four thermal satellites into orbit, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission marks a significant step for the country’s civil protection and climate resilience efforts.

According to the Ministry of Digital Governance, the satellite system was developed by OroraTech and represents Greece’s first national satellite system designed specifically for the detection and monitoring of wildfires.

Equipped with advanced thermal sensors, the four satellites will provide near-real-time imagery of how fires develop, enable early detection of hotspots, and offer precise assessment of their impact. The data collected will be integrated into the Government Earth Observation Hub, creating a unified operational information environment for public administration.

Beyond fire monitoring, the satellites will supply high-accuracy information on sea surface temperatures, coastal areas, lakes and reservoirs, as well as various land-use categories ranging from agricultural and forested land to urban areas and wetlands. This will support decision-making in areas such as marine and coastal protection, water resource management, agricultural production, and climate change adaptation.

As part of the same mission, two experimental microsatellites were also placed into orbit under the Hellenic Space Dawn programme — described as Greece’s first twin CubeSat mission for Earth observation. These will be used for applications including ship detection, coastal flood monitoring, and the validation of advanced Greek space technologies, including innovative laser optical communications.

The mission forms part of the National Microsatellite Programme of the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence. It is being implemented through the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Posts, led by Secretary General Konstantinos Karantzalos, with support from the Hellenic Space Centre, the European Space Agency, and funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.