Protostar Labs in the Project of the First Regional Satellite Constellation

As part of the Business Forum of the Three Seas Initiative held in Dubrovnik, representatives of space sector companies from Croatia, Poland, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Slovakia signed a letter of intent to establish Three Seas Hybrid Constellation, the first joint regional hybrid satellite constellation for Earth observation. The project envisions the establishment of a regional satellite data exchange system in Central and Eastern Europe.

The initiative aims to strengthen Earth observation capabilities through the sharing of satellite resources and the development of ground infrastructure. The project is part of building regional capabilities for collecting and utilizing satellite data, which are important for security, the economy, and crisis management.

The signing was attended by Ivan Anušić, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Defense, Harry Theoharis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Marcin Przydacz, Secretary of State and Head of the Office for International Policy in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland, and Rastislav Chovanec, Secretary of State of the Slovak Republic.

Croatia is represented in the consortium by Osijek’s Protostar Labs, which develops hardware and software systems for satellites with an emphasis on data processing in orbit. They were recommended to the project initiators by the European Space Agency.

– This initiative represents a step towards strengthening cooperation in the space sector in the region. All countries have a need for satellite data, but individual capacities are limited. Through connection and data exchange, we are building a system that can increase the availability of information for security, crisis management, and the development of new technologies. For us, this is an opportunity to contribute to the development of the regional space ecosystem. We are pleased that the European Space Agency has recognized our expertise, said Filip Novoselnik, founder and director of Protostar Labs.

The initiative, launched by Polish Creotech Instruments, is based on the idea that the space sector becomes part of the defense, innovation, and crisis management system in Central and Eastern Europe. The project envisions the pooling of resources from 12 countries, which would provide each country with more data than it would have independently.

The project foresees two phases: connecting national resources into a data exchange system and developing interoperability of ground stations. Such an approach creates a system that can provide mutual support in case of failures or threats at the national levels.

The project initiator, the Polish company Creotech Instruments, specializes in satellite platforms and electronics. They have produced four launched Polish satellites and participated in 14 space missions.

– The initiative shows that shared resources can bring economies of scale that would be unattainable for individual countries. Its open nature creates space for the inclusion of additional companies and countries in the next phases of project development, said Grzegorz Brona, CEO of Creotech Instruments.