Hellas Sat now has assumed full control of the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite. In an announcement today, SES Astra‘s Techcom Unit handed over control of the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite to the Hellas Sat control center in Greece from the SES Astra control center in Luxembourg. SES Astra has been in control of the satellite for 16 months, during which time SES Astra’s TechCom unit had been helping to ensure full control of the satellite from its headquarters in Luxembourg, using the Thermopylae Earth Station in Greece, owned and operated by OTE.

Christodoulos Protopapas, managing director and chairman of Hellas Sat S.A hailed the move as a landmark for the Greek space industry. He commented, “We are very proud that the Hellas-Sat 2 satellite is now being operated by Greek engineers and scientists. From this moment, Greece really enters to the club of countries which have access to space.”