Greece Launches Hyperion GR-1 Microsatellite for Earth Observation

The news in Greek

1. μικροδορυφόρος  (m.)
   Ένας πολύ μικρός δορυφόρος που περιφέρεται γύρω από τη Γη. ↩︎
2. διάστημα  (n.)
   Ο χώρος πέρα από την ατμόσφαιρα της Γης, όπου βρίσκονται τα άστρα και οι πλανήτες. ↩︎
3. φωτογραφίζω
   Τραβώ φωτογραφίες με μηχανή ή άλλο εξοπλισμό. ↩︎
4. πυρκαγιά  (f.)
   Μεγάλη και επικίνδυνη φωτιά που καίει δάση ή κτίρια. ↩︎
5. πλημμύρα  (f.)
   Όταν πολύ νερό καλύπτει την ξηρά λόγω βροχής ή ποταμού. ↩︎
6. δορυφόρος  (m.)
   Μια συσκευή που εκτοξεύεται στο διάστημα και περιφέρεται γύρω από τη Γη για να στέλνει πληροφορίες. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What is the name of the new microsatellite that Greece has launched?

Question 2: How many microsatellites does Greece now have in space?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
μικροδορυφόρος  (m.)	microsatellite
διάστημα  (n.)	space
φωτογραφίζω	to photograph
πυρκαγιά  (f.)	fire
πλημμύρα  (f.)	flood
δορυφόρος  (m.)	satellite

Read the full story

Greece has successfully launched its first optical observation microsatellite, Hyperion GR-1, marking what officials describe as a new era in the country’s space capabilities. The satellite lifted off on Tuesday, 7 July, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX rocket.

The satellite is the first of seven optical microsatellites being built by the Greek company Open Cosmos Aegean, based in Pallini, Attica. It is capable of capturing high-resolution multispectral images at up to 90 centimetres resolution, and incorporates artificial intelligence for data processing as well as inter-satellite links for rapid transmission of information to Earth.

Data from the satellite will be used across a range of public services, including wildfire and flood monitoring, damage assessment after extreme weather events, maritime surveillance, ship tracking, detection of sea pollution, precision agriculture, forest and water resource protection, and urban planning. The data will feed into a Government Geospatial Node to create a unified information environment for public administration.

With this launch, Greece now has 18 microsatellites in orbit as part of the National Microsatellite Programme, which is funded through the Greece 2.0 Recovery and Resilience Fund. The programme is implemented through the General Secretariat for Telecommunications and Posts, with support from the Hellenic Space Centre and the European Space Agency.

Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Dimitris Papastergiou said the launch would allow Greece to use satellite data to protect forests and seas, support precision farming, map construction activity, and make faster decisions during crises. He added that the launch was part of a broader national plan, noting that the new HELLAS-SPACE 2.0 programme worth 350 million euros had been presented just days earlier as a continuation of the National Microsatellite Programme.

The same SpaceX mission also carried a satellite called Posedònia, built by Open Cosmos at its facilities in Spain.