Iceye to Strengthen Surveillance of Russian Military Forces

Memorandum of Understanding Signed with Ukraine on Earth Observation
Seemingly Building Space Capabilities Amid Prolonged War

European company ICEYE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ukraine for Earth observation. This is interpreted as an effort to strengthen surveillance of Russian forces as the war in Ukraine prolongs.

According to ICEYE on the 10th, the company signed a contract with the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation in August 2022 and announced that it would provide SAR (Synthetic-Aperture Radar) satellite imagery to the Ukrainian government. Since that year, ICEYE designated one of its SAR satellites to provide information on Russian troop movements to Ukraine.

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, stated via social media in February of the following year, "We operated ICEYE’s microsatellite for only two days but discovered over 60 pieces of Russian military equipment," adding, "It was thanks to the Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) that we could detect Russian military equipment camouflaged behind forests or obstacles." He also said, "In just two days, we were able to inflict greater losses on Russia, such as armored vehicles, than the rental cost of the ‘satellite project’," emphasizing, "The important thing is that we were able to save the lives of our soldiers."

This memorandum of understanding includes not only the information ICEYE has provided so far but also remote sensing technology, military data enhancement, and integrated space support. Oleksandra Ustinova, chairperson of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Defense Committee, stated, "We hope this cooperation will be further strengthened through new space defense projects so that Ukraine can build space capabilities based on advanced technological sovereignty."

ICEYE is headquartered in Finland and operates five overseas branches. After successfully launching ICEYE-X1, the world’s first SAR satellite under 100 kg, in 2018, the company now owns a total of 21 satellites. It is the largest operator of microscale SAR satellites worldwide. ICEYE’s satellites are also purchased and used by the United States, Canada, and Brazil. ICEYE has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with domestic defense company LIG Nex1 in the satellite industry and with Hanwha Systems for joint projects in the microsatellite sector. Recently, ICEYE announced that it would propose the sale of SAR radar imagery satellites to the South Korean military or suggest ways to manage them on their behalf.