Radar satellite companies are increasingly focusing on the military market

WASHINGTON – Companies that operate imaging and intelligence-gathering radar satellites are accelerating the deployment of technology to military and defense agencies, responding to increased global demand for detailed and precise surveillance of ground targets.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, which can capture high-resolution images in all weather conditions and at any time of day, are becoming increasingly common as defense customers seek more accurate insights from space, industry executives said.

One of the industry’s emerging players, Finnish company Iceye, announced on October 2 that its SAR satellites – designed to see objects on the Earth’s surface that are at least 25 centimeters in size – can identify certain types of military equipment . and even spot targets hidden beneath treetops or thick foliage.

Eric Jensen, CEO of Iceye US, the company’s U.S. subsidiary, said SpaceNews The company has added new imaging capabilities to its 25-centimeter SAR satellites to meet the needs of defense and intelligence customers who need to monitor rapidly changing geopolitical situations. “Regional conflicts around the world have highlighted the need for commercial SAR,” Jensen said.

There is great demand for high-resolution SAR for border security, maritime security and disaster relief, Jensen said. “I think over time we will see the scientific community also begin to leverage the power of the 25-centimeter X-band SAR. It hasn’t been available to them before.”

Global SAR Race

A report released Oct. 1 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) analyzed the current state of the global remote sensing satellite market and found that U.S.-based SAR companies have overtaken European and Canadian competitors. According to the report, regulatory reforms in recent years have resulted in U.S. firms becoming leaders in the SAR sector. Companies like Umbra Space and Capella Space have used these reforms to advance their SAR technologies for commercial and defense applications.

In the CSIS report, Iceye ranked third in X-band SAR imaging, behind Umbra and Capella. However, the Finnish company is credited with leading the industry in revisit rate – the number of times satellites can reimage the same area. This capability is used for near real-time monitoring of trends and activity on Earth.

Interested in sovereign systems

Umbra Space Chief Operating Officer Todd Master commented on the growing interest from foreign governments in establishing their own sovereign SAR constellations. “Many sovereign foreign allies want systems of their own,” Master said Oct. 1 when releasing the CSIS report. “There are a lot of really interesting dynamics there.”

Umbra, which develops commercial defense-tailored SAR solutions, is also venturing into international markets. Historically, the U.S. government has been the primary provider of SAR imagery, but now the commercial sector is stepping in to fill the need for independent SAR capabilities.

“Commercial SAR is truly new to the scene, and particularly new to the United States,” Master added, underscoring the sector’s rapid rise in the private market as governments seek alternatives to traditional electro-optical satellite imagery.

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