Key Highlights:
- Iceye U.S. has announced a collaborative research and development arrangement with the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Technical Center.
- Iceye has launched 14 commercial SAR satellites, making it the company with the biggest fleet of commercial SAR satellites.
- Iceye already collaborates with In-Q-Tel, the nonprofit investment arm of the United States intelligence establishment.
Collaborative R&D arrangement
Iceye U.S., a subsidiary of the Finnish synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite operator, has announced a collaborative research and development arrangement with the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Technical Center (SMDTC).
Iceye and SMDTC will collaborate to investigate how the Army might benefit from access to SAR images and data under the terms of the agreement. To address various Army and Defense Department needs, the parties will collaboratively explore a wide range of problems, including SAR satellite tasking, SAR data downlink, picture processing, and image distribution.
“The U.S Army is looking for affordable and versatile SAR and other advanced sensor technology to enhance its many systems and missions,” Col. Matt Anderson, SMDC’s Space Directorate leader, said in a statement. “High-quality, frequent-revisit commercial SAR is particularly important to us because it enables day-night, all-weather imaging and complements national satellite systems.”
Biggest fleet of SAR satellites
Iceye has launched 14 commercial SAR satellites, making it the company with the biggest fleet of commercial SAR satellites. In 2022, the business intends to add at least ten satellites to its network.
“We look forward to working closely with SMDTC as we bring Iceye’s first-of-its-kind capability to a variety of U.S. Army experiments and demonstrations,” said Eric Jensen, Iceye U.S. president, said in a statement.
According to a Nov. 18 press release, the Army is keen to acquire SAR data through the Army’s present Common Ground Terminal and future mobile ground stations being created by the Army’s Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node program.
Government organizations in the United States, such as the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, are growing more excited about the possible uses for SAR satellites, which collect pictures through clouds and darkness.
Iceye collaborations
Iceye U.S. is headquartered in Southern California, where the business is “establishing a corporate structure to fulfill security and clearance standards,” according to Welsh. “In our Irvine, California, facility we are manufacturing Iceye spacecraft and have a warm production line to introduce new technologies. We have also set up a 24-hour Mission Control Center to be responsive to the government’s security and tasking requirements.”
Iceye already collaborates with In-Q-Tel, the nonprofit investment arm of the United States intelligence establishment.
Iceye also collaborates with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to monitor and respond to environmental risks such as oil spills, illegal fishing activities, marine trash accumulation in the ocean, and burnt regions following forest fires.
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