ICEYE advances Earth observation with new SAR satellites

ICEYE has bolstered its SAR satellite constellation with the deployment of two new satellites. These additions increase the availability of ICEYE’s advanced imaging technology, further enhancing its 25cm-resolution imaging capabilities for Earth observation and persistent monitoring.

The satellites were integrated via Exolaunch and launched as part of the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. Both satellites have established communication, and early routine operations are underway. With today’s launch, ICEYE has successfully launched 40 satellites into orbit since 2018, with nine satellites launched in 2024 alone.

The new SAR satellites were launched into mid-inclination orbits. Compared to a polar orbit, these mid-inclination orbits provide more than twice the collection opportunities at middle latitudes of the globe. ICEYE customers have many areas of interest in these middle latitudes (+/- 45 degrees), and these customers will benefit from increased persistence over these regions. Customers with imaging interests outside these middle latitudes will continue to benefit from the frequent revisit enabled by ICEYE’s dozens of satellites in polar orbits.

High-information density imagery

ICEYE’s mix of mid-inclination and polar orbits provides its customers with deep revisit capabilities for targets all around the globe. The new satellites will serve ICEYE's commercial missions as part of the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation owned and operated by ICEYE.

The new SAR satellites mark a significant milestone in ICEYE's continuous innovation in Earth observation. By enhancing its industry-leading SAR constellation, the company further expands the diversity of collection opportunities available to its customers, focusing on the areas most critical to their needs. Over the past year, the company has introduced Dwell Precise. Dwell Precise combines high-quality data with high-resolution imaging, delivering 25cm resolution through its 1,200MHz radar bandwidth. ICEYE’s Dwell-mode imagery enables the tracking of movement, object classification and more confident decision-making. Features such as colour sub-aperture images (CSI) and SAR video provide detailed analysis and enhanced situational awareness. The company has also launched an API for direct tasking of its SAR satellite constellation and unveiled ICEYE Ocean Vision, providing actionable insights to enhance maritime domain awareness.