Greece in Space.
In 2026, the National Observatory of Athens is expected to present and open to the public its major project in Kryoneri, Corinthia, where a significant space research and visitor infrastructure is being developed. The Kryoneri Observatory, operated by the National Observatory of Athens, is already an important research facility and hosts a 1.2 m telescope, while it remains temporarily closed to the public due to the construction of a new visitor center.
One year earlier, in 2025, Greece was part of a historic space-communication milestone linked to NASA’s Psyche mission. On 7 July 2025, ESA established Europe’s first deep-space optical communication link with NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment aboard the Psyche spacecraft, using the ground laser transmitter at the Kryoneri Observatory.
A more polished version:
Greece in Space
In 2026, the National Observatory of Athens is expected to unveil and open to the public a major new project at Kryoneri, Corinthia, positioning Greece more dynamically on the European space and research map.
The Kryoneri Observatory, a key research infrastructure of the National Observatory of Athens, is being upgraded with a new visitor center, while also playing an active role in international space programmes. In 2025, Greece participated in a historic milestone connected to NASA’s Psyche mission, through Europe’s first deep-space optical communication link with a spacecraft, using the ground laser transmitter at Kryoneri.
This achievement marks an important step for Greece’s role in space research, innovation and next-generation communication technologies.