



The Hellenic Space Agency (HSA or ΕΛΔΟ in Greek) signed an agreement of cooperation with the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Monday.

Dr. Georgios Mantzouris, the CEO of HSA, and Jim Bridenstine, the Administrator of NASA, signed the historic agreement during the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado.

Greece will become one of the very few countries in the world to have sent their own robotic vehicles to the moon.

According to the agreement, Greek scientists will develop the vehicle by 2022, and the mission will take place during that year.

The robotic vehicle will collect valuable material and information, which will then belong to the Greek state and will be used for research by Greek scientists, researchers and universities.

In an announcement after the agreement, Bridenstine noted that ”I participated in a historic moment as NASA welcomed the newly-formed Hellenic Space Agency (HSA).

“HSA CEO Dr. Georgios Mantzouris and I signed a joint statement expressing a desire to remain open to opportunities for collaboration, both through Greece’s contributions to the European Space Agency and bilaterally,” he concluded.

Commenting on this historic agreement, the Greek Minister of Digital Policy, Telecommunications and Information Nikos Pappas noted on Twitter that ”Greece is now upgraded, and comes to the forefront of global innovation”.

Με τη συμφωνία ΕΛΔΟ-NASA για την αποστολή “H Ελλάδα στη Σελήνη”, η χώρα μας μπαίνει στην κατηγορία των ελάχιστων χωρών, οι οποίες θα έχουν πατήσει στο έδαφος της Σελήνης με δικό τους όχημα. Η χώρα αναβαθμίζεται και μπαίνει στην πρωτοπορία της παγκόσμιας έρευνας. pic.twitter.com/wQmy4Xn42U — Νίκος Παππάς (@nikospappas16) April 8, 2019



