Greece, which has recently increased its military cooperation with the US, is now preparing to conduct joint studies with the US space agency NASA in the Aegean. It was learned that the two countries, which decided to expand a space observation base located in the north of the Peloponnese peninsula, will cooperate in the fields of the lunar surface, the study of mineral-rich asteroids around Mars, and satellite communication traffic. The news emerged in a statement made by a team from the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) affiliated with the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) at a fair in Thessaloniki.
2400 METERS AHEAD
Shortly before his speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair, IAASARS Director Dr. Spyros Vasilakos told Kathimerini about a new space center to be built at the Kryoneri Observatory in the northern Peloponnese, which will be the largest in Southeastern Europe. IAASARS operates the country’s two largest research telescopes. The first, the 2.3-meter Aristarchos Telescope, is located at the Helmos Observatory on top of Mount Helmos near Kalavryta, at an altitude of 2,400 meters. Aristarchos is known as the largest telescope in the Balkans. The second telescope, with a diameter of 1.2 meters, is located at the Kryoneri Observatory, at an altitude of approximately 900 meters.
NASA AND EU INVOLVED
It is stated that NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) want to investigate the effects of this situation on the lunar surface, as bases are planned to be established on the Moon in the coming period. IAASARS and ESA had established a partnership as part of the activities at the Kryoneri Observatory, which was completed last July. According to the news in Kathimerini, the Aristarchos Telescope was selected as the first European ground station by ESA two years ago with the aim of ‘developing new, fast and secure laser telecommunications between the Earth and satellites; replacing the current radio wave technology’. In the news, Dr. Vasilakos was quoted as saying,We sent a laser from Aristarchos to the largest European satellite, Alphasat, at a distance of 37,000 kilometers. We became the first station in Europe to establish such a connection” he is reported to have said.
METAL ASTEROID
The news report describes the cooperation with NASA in the Aegean as follows:This success has led to a new challenge: collaborating with NASA. The NASA Discovery Program aims to explore a metal-rich asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA has launched a spacecraft that is on its way to the asteroid.” The news includes the following statement by Vasilakos: “This time, we are sending lasers not 37,000 kilometers away as we did two years ago, but 300 million kilometers away. NASA’s spacecraft will arrive there in 2025. NASA’s signal will be received by Aristarchos in Helmos. The powerful laser in Kryoneri will create a giant communication bridge of 300 million kilometers. Together with a similar connection from the US, it will create the widest band connection ever achieved in space and open new horizons in telecommunications.”
SATELLITE MONITORING
The Kryoneri Observatory, together with other European observatories, was chosen to provide the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) with important data on satellite movements around the Earth. Dr. Vasilakos said:There are thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth, creating a chaotic situation. That’s why the US and EU decided to create a space traffic code. At Kryoneri, we monitor satellite orbits and provide basic data for ‘planetary security’” he explains with his words.
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