Creotech Instruments, a Polish manufacturer of small satellites, has announced plans to expand its production capacity tenfold by 2029. The company's chief executive, Grzegorz Brona, shared the strategy in an interview with Reuters, while also cautioning that Europe's dependence on American rockets for launching satellites is likely to persist for the foreseeable future.
The expansion hinges on a new factory in the Mazowieckie region of Poland, slated to open in 2029. The facility would be capable of producing up to 40 satellites per year across different models, or 100 units of a single design. That compares with the current output of ten satellites at the company's existing site in Piaseczno, near Warsaw.
A widening transatlantic gap
The announcement comes amid growing European efforts to reduce reliance on US space technology. Just days before the interview, reports emerged that the White House had ordered SpaceX to restrict Ukraine's access to Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite network. President Donald Trump denied involvement, saying, "It wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon. I don't know if it was anybody. From what I understand, it's the same as it's always been."
The ambiguity over responsibility is worrying, but for European leaders the larger concern is the potential for Washington to use its technological dominance as political leverage. Europe's launch capacity lags far behind the US: last year, the continent accounted for just eight of the world's 324 orbital launches, compared with 193 by the US. Starlink alone operates more than 60% of active satellites, according to European Space Agency (ESA) data.
Asked whether European industry could build a rival to Starlink, Brona was blunt: the continent could produce thousands of satellites and still have no way to get them into orbit. "Launch vehicles are now becoming a means of political pressure on the European Union in the hands of [US President] Donald Trump's administration," he said.
Creotech, which does not manufacture rockets, has deliberately kept US components out of its satellites to avoid American arms export regulations. Those rules allow Washington to block sales of any satellite containing even a minor US-made part. Yet the company still depends on US launch services: all four satellites it built for Poland's MikroGlob military programme were carried into orbit by SpaceX.
Europe's push for independent launch capacity
European institutions are pursuing multiple avenues to close the launch gap. In September, the ESA said it was considering increasing the flight rate of its Ariane 6 and Vega-C rockets to avoid a bottleneck in satellite deployments. Director General Josef Aschbacher stressed that a decision was needed soon, given an expected surge in demand.
Arianespace, which operates Ariane 6, plans to conduct nine or ten launches per year from 2027. Meanwhile, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has proposed expanding the bloc's government satellite fleet from 80 to 630 and carrying out 62 launches annually by 2034, from sites in Europe and Canada. These plans are designed to meet the needs of the Galileo navigation and Copernicus Earth observation programmes.
Aschbacher has also floated a €10 billion, ten-year initiative to develop an independent European crew vehicle and launch recovery system before the International Space Station is retired at the end of 2030 or early 2031. In March, the ESA launched the European Launcher Challenge to support private companies and start-ups developing launch services. These efforts include commercial spaceports such as SaxaVord in Scotland and Andøya in Norway, while firms like Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg aim to expand small-to-medium-lift options.
The urgency of these efforts is underscored by the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Kyiv has sought European alternatives to US satellite and air defence systems. As Ukraine explores European options, the strategic importance of independent launch capability becomes ever clearer.
Creotech's growth trajectory
Creotech currently specialises in small satellites and microsatellites, typically weighing between 10 kg and several dozen kilograms, using its proprietary Hypersat modular platform family. Its product line includes the HyperSat Earth observation platform, the Seagull, Eagle 2.0 and Nano 2.0 models, as well as the PIAST and MikroGlob constellations. The MikroGlob constellation, built for the Polish Armament Agency, was launched this month.
The company also collaborates with the ESA, contributing platforms and subsystems to missions such as Comet Interceptor, JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer), LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), the Plasma Observatory, and the Twardowski lunar mission to map the Moon's surface.
Creotech's expansion plans come at a time when Europe is grappling with the broader question of strategic autonomy in space. As the continent seeks to bolster its own capabilities, the role of private players like Creotech will be crucial. The company's decision to avoid US components may limit its market, but it also positions it as a trusted partner for European governments wary of foreign influence. The planned factory in Mazowieckie is a tangible step toward reducing that dependency, even as the launch bottleneck remains unresolved.
