By Alexia Sotiriou

Hellas Sat is evolving into a critical European infrastructure after France, Cyprus and Greece signed a cooperation agreement for the Hellas Sat 5 satellite program. The project will develop a next-generation optical communications system to be hosted on the future geostationary telecommunications satellite Hellas Sat 5, along with a related optical ground station in Cyprus.

In this context, optical (laser) satellite communications are not a future prospect but, on the contrary, are decisively integrated into the new demanding operational reality.

As highlighted by the parties involved, Hellas Sat, the French Space Agency CNES, Thales Alenia Space – a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) – and Safran, “free-space optical communications could become a new standard for secure, space-based data transmission, thanks to significantly improved capabilities that can provide data rates of the order of one terabit per second — despite the distances involved and the interruptions caused by atmospheric turbulence.”

According to Christodoulos Protopapas, CEO of Hellas Sat, “through the Hellas Sat 5 program, Hellas Sat is actively contributing to the development of next-generation technologies that enhance Europe’s secure connectivity and strategic autonomy.” Alcino de Sousa, Senior Vice President of Telecommunications at Thales Alenia Space, spoke about the development of a key building block for a secure, very high-performance data transmission network. Jean-Marie Bétermier, Vice President of Space at Safran Electronics & Defense, spoke about innovation in the service of sovereignty and security of strategic communications.

The system is designed to make intercontinental networks more resilient, as terrestrial and submarine fiber optic connections are increasingly subject to sabotage. In this regard, geostationary telecommunications satellites are a proven solution: cost-effective and offering continuous coverage for massive, highly secure data transfers between users on the ground.

This collaboration will provide ultra-high-throughput and very high-performance data transfer services from geostationary orbit, enabling faster, more secure and more resilient satellite communications for critical applications. This communications system will be designed to enable interoperability with other satellite optical communications systems under development.

New generation satellite communications

A new era in satellite communications, spanning from telecommunications to defense, is being inaugurated for Greece and Cyprus by Hellas Sat, with the first geostationary satellite with high-speed laser optical telecommunications.

The announcement of the collaborations is being made in the context of the international conference “Battlefield ReDEFiNED 2026” taking place on February 26-27 in Nicosia, in the presence of government and military bodies, institutional actors and leading technological organizations.

According to Konstantinos Geroulis, Commercial Director of Hellas Sat, “in a period when communications security, strategic autonomy and operational readiness are being redefined, Space is emerging as a critical infrastructure and a key element of modern defense and governance.”

The design of the new generation of Hellas Sat satellites has already begun and concerns the new Hellas Sat 5 satellite that will incorporate revolutionary technologies, satisfying the greatly increased demand for high data transmission speeds and security in communications. It will be a satellite with an innovative payload.

In this way, the foundations are laid for a pioneering space payload for space technology, which will allow “the use of laser beams from space at the geostationary position of 39° to provide high-speed telecommunications.”

Its advantages include security, speed and the transfer of large volumes of data, which will allow Hellas Sat to claim its use in a wide field including defense. In particular, the speeds far exceed current conventional limits, and in addition, communication via laser from a satellite at about 36,000 kilometers reduces exposure to hostile actions, and therefore constitutes an important guarantee for national security, especially in cases of crisis management.

According to the company’s planning, Hellas Sat 5 is expected to be launched in 2029. This is a program whose strategic value goes beyond space and the exploitation of the rights of Greece and Cyprus to the exclusive orbital position of 39° East for Greece and Cyprus, while strengthening an integrated communications system, where every part of the system – from the satellite to the ground station – meets the highest standards of safety, reliability and operational autonomy.