Polish satellite maker Creotech Instruments has signed a €13.9mn contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to deliver the SAWA space weather nanosatellite, the company said on September 2.

The contract covers the design, construction, integration and operation of the satellite, which will monitor the effects of solar activity on the upper atmosphere and space environment in low Earth orbit.

The mission will be the first in Poland to be delivered to ESA under a "mission-as-a-service" model, with Creotech acting as prime contractor and integrator. The satellite is scheduled for launch in early 2029 and will conduct observations for up to three years.

"For the first time in history, a Polish entity will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of a satellite mission to the European Space Agency under the 'mission-as-a-service' model," Creotech CEO Grzegorz Brona said.

"This is a breakthrough both for Creotech Instruments and for the entire Polish space sector," he added.

The project follows a feasibility study completed in 2025 and covers phases B through E of the mission. The contract also includes an option to extend data transmission services for two years for an additional fee of about €1.9mn.

SAWA will provide data for monitoring and forecasting space weather, including geomagnetic storms and high-energy particle emissions that can disrupt satellites, navigation systems, power grids and communications.

SAWA will be the 13th HyperSat-based satellite launched into space. The satellite will use Creotech's proprietary HyperSat platform and become part of ESA's Distributed Space Weather Sensor System, developed under the agency's Space Safety Programme.

Project partners include the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, which will develop scientific instruments, and N7 Space, responsible for software.