ICEYE Launches Six SAR Satellites

Launch of six ICEYE Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites on the SpaceX Transporter-16 on Monday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California | Photo: ICEYE

ICEYE has launched six new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites aboard the Transporter-16 rideshare mission operated by SpaceX. The launch took place on Monday, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellites were integrated by Exolaunch and have established communication, with commissioning operations now underway.

The new satellites will expand ICEYE’s commercial constellation while also supporting national missions. These include programmes for ICEYE US, the Polish Armed Forces under the MikroSAR programme, and Portugal through CTI Aeroespacial, CEiiA and GEOSAT as part of the Atlantic Constellation initiative.

The satellites provide imaging with a resolution of up to 25 cm using SAR technology, which allows observation through cloud cover, smoke and darkness. This enables continuous monitoring regardless of weather or time of day. The deployment increases the number of satellites operated by ICEYE, which has launched 70 satellites since 2018, including eight in 2026.

The company is increasing production capacity and plans to reach a rate of one satellite per week. It is also developing software-defined satellite systems that can be updated remotely rather than requiring hardware modifications.

“ICEYE protects sovereign nations from space. The era of relying on a single, expensive satellite for national security is ending. Governments now understand that resilient constellations of many satellites are what give them real intelligence advantage, with answers in minutes instead of days. That is the shift from strategic to tactical timelines, and it changes everything about how nations defend themselves. Every satellite we launch brings our customers closer to that reality, and we are building the industrial capacity to keep pace with the demand.” said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO of ICEYE.

The satellites are intended to support defence, intelligence and other applications by providing frequent, near real-time observation data to government and commercial users.