Images from the Polish PIAST satellite constellation

Our satellites show the world from space

With great satisfaction, we present images from the Polish satellite constellation PIAST (Polish ImAging SaTellites), developed and advanced on the basis of domestic know-how and the competencies of the Polish space sector.
The images were captured using a telescope developed by the Centrum Badań Kosmicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk, mounted on a satellite platform designed and manufactured in Poland by Creotech Instruments.

The presented images were taken by the telescope at an early stage of satellite operations, before the instrument had undergone full calibration.

The first image shows the city of Houston in the USA, in particular the area around the Astrodome stadium. It was taken on 10 December 2025, just four days after the first Earth image from orbit, which we also presented in December and which showed clouds over the Atlantic Ocean.

The next two images were taken over Poland and cover the area of the Dead Vistula in Gdańsk and the surroundings of Kórnik (near Poznań).

The latter location is home to the Astrogeodynamic Observatory in Borówiec, belonging to CBK PAN, the institution responsible for developing the telescope. Both images were taken on 19 December 2025 during the same satellite pass over Poland, less than one minute apart. The satellite therefore first tracked the Gdańsk area and then fully autonomously rapidly changed its orientation to begin observing the area near Poznań.

For those familiar with satellite operations, we are also presenting a chart illustrating the satellite’s behavior during the acquisition of these two images. The chart shows changes in the satellite’s orientation over time, broken down into three axes. Prior to the observations, the satellite remained in an optimal orientation with respect to the Sun, maximizing battery charging via its photovoltaic panels. Then, at around 09:53:30, it performed a maneuver to point the telescope toward Gdańsk.

Between 09:54:00 and 09:55:45, the satellite tracked this area and captured the first image. Around 09:56, it executed another maneuver, beginning to track the second target – Kórnik near Poznań. Observation of this area lasted from 09:56:15 to 09:57:30 and concluded with the acquisition of the second image. After completing the observations, the satellite once again assumed an optimal orientation with respect to the Sun.

All the maneuvers described were carried out without direct involvement of ground operators, using the autonomous control system of the HyperSat platform, developed by Creotech Instruments based on Polish engineering expertise.

The PIAST program is co-financed by the Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju. The project leader is the Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna w Warszawie, and the consortium consists of: Creotech Instruments, CBK PAN, Scanway, Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation, and PCO S.A.