ICEYE Launches Four New Satellites into Orbit, Expanding its Own Constellation and Serving Customer Missions
Credit: SpaceX / Exolaunch
ICEYE, the global leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite operations for Earth Observation, persistent monitoring, and natural catastrophe solutions, has successfully launched four new SAR satellites on August 16, 2024. The new satellites further expand the world’s largest SAR constellation, owned and operated by ICEYE. The satellites were integrated via Exolaunch and successfully lifted off aboard the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. Each spacecraft has established communication, and early routine operations are underway.
The satellites serve both ICEYE’s commercial and dedicated customer missions and were manufactured by ICEYE in Finland and ICEYE US in the United States. The satellites include the first ICEYE satellite launch for Bayanat (a leading provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions) and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat – the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider) for their earlier announced Earth Observation Space Program.
“With frequent and steady deployment of new satellites into the ICEYE constellation, we are making progress towards our vision of improving life on Earth by becoming the global source of truth in Earth Observation. The powerful and capable satellite constellation ensures fulfilling our commitments to working as a trusted partner with a growing number of governments and commercial industries to deliver timely, accurate, and actionable insights for faster and better decision-making. We are proud to launch the first ICEYE satellite for our customer Bayanat and Yahsat and look forward to continued successful cooperation on their missions”, said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-Founder of ICEYE.
Hasan Al Hosani, Managing Director of Bayanat, said: “The launch of our first satellite marks a highly anticipated milestone for both our collaborative efforts and for the UAE. This is a triumphant moment for Bayanat and a defining step toward our future as Space42. Inaugurating our Earth Observation capabilities, including the debut of our SAR satellite constellation, will further strengthen our position as a leader in AI-powered geospatial analytics. Our ongoing partnership with ICEYE, building on our shared ambition with Yahsat, continues to prove invaluable, enabling us to leverage space insights for informed decision-making on Earth.”
Ali Al Hashemi, Group CEO of Yahsat, said: “The successful launch of our SAR satellite is a testament to the synergies between Bayanat and Yahsat as we press ahead with the anticipated merger to form Space42. The SAR satellite constellation to be launched over the next 3 years will enable us to expand as a multi-orbit satellite operator, encompassing Geostationary Orbit and Low Earth Orbit satellites while also developing satellite manufacturing capabilities in the UAE. This significant step also solidifies our extensive experience and reaffirms our place as pioneers in the UAE’s space sector and a significant player in the global SpaceTech industry.”
“We are pleased to add more next generation, U.S.-manufactured satellite capacity to the constellation. This further strengthens our capabilities to serve our customers with actionable data and insights”,said Eric Jensen, CEO of ICEYE US.
ICEYE operates the world’s largest constellation of SAR satellites. These satellites can image any location on the Earth’s surface in any environmental condition, day or night. SAR data provides precise insights for ICEYE’s government and commercial customers in near real-time.
ICEYE plans to launch up to 13 new satellites in 2024, and 10-15 new satellites annually in 2025 and beyond for its constellation and customers. The previous launch in March 2024 successfully deployed three new satellites into the constellation, and in 2023 ICEYE successfully launched 10 new satellites.