Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented Adrianos Golemis, who is set to become Greece's first astronaut to travel to space, at an international conference on space held in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron opened the conference and called Mitsotakis to the podium first among the heads of state and government in attendance.
Macron asked the Greek prime minister to introduce Golemis to an audience of around 2,000 guests and representatives of some 90 countries. In doing so, Macron appeared to want to make clear that space is no longer reserved for the countries that traditionally led the field during the 20th century, but also involves nations with smaller populations that had no involvement in space affairs a few years ago.
Mitsotakis introduces Golemis
Responding to Macron's invitation, Mitsotakis called Golemis to the stage, describing the moment as one of special significance for Greece. He said Golemis is an experienced scientist from a country that had no notable record in the field in the past but has now launched 18 satellites into space.
Mitsotakis also said Golemis was not someone who had spent his life in front of a screen, a remark he linked to Macron's particular interest in weaning young people off mobile phones and screens.
The mission will be carried out by the company Vast, in cooperation with the European Space Agency and NASA. Vast is a private space company that works with both agencies on future missions involving the International Space Station. Current planning calls for the mission, known as PAM-6, to depart in the second half of 2027.
What Mitsotakis told the conference
In his remarks, Mitsotakis said it was a genuine pleasure and honour to be sharing the stage with Macron, whom he described as devoted to strengthening the European space ecosystem.
He said that a few years ago Greece had no presence in space, with neither a space programme nor a space strategy. He said the country now has 18 satellites in orbit, is developing its own satellite manufacturing ecosystem, and is bringing young Greeks with experience in the space sector back home.
Mitsotakis said Greece was proud to announce that its first astronaut, Golemis, would be sent to space as part of the Vast mission, before inviting him onto the stage.
He said Golemis, beyond the experiments he would carry out on the International Space Station, a research laboratory in orbit run jointly by the United States, Europe, Russia and other partners, would also serve as a source of inspiration for young Greek children to turn toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to dream again and to move away from screens.
He added that he shared with Macron a common interest in ensuring children are not overly attached to social media algorithms, saying it was far better for them to dream of space and build micro-satellites, as pupils do at school.
Mitsotakis said he was confident Golemis would make Greece proud, and that he was pleased to see the Greek flag represented on the International Space Station. He said it was no coincidence that NASA keeps choosing the names of ancient Greek gods for its missions, noting that after Apollo it was now the turn of Artemis, NASA's current programme aimed at returning astronauts to the Moon, and that no one could say what might follow if humanity decided to go to Mars.
He closed his remarks by thanking Golemis and wishing him well.
Photos from the conference
Images released alongside the announcement showed Golemis on stage with Mitsotakis and Macron at the conference.
