ICEYE US, a subsidiary of ICEYE, has received a contract from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This contract enables ICEYE US to participate in the NRO’s evaluation of commercial, remote sensing companies operating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.
With a focus on modeling and simulation, ICEYE US will support NRO’s detailed assessment of imaging modes, image quality, geolocation accuracy and coverage among other important technical parameters. The contract represents a critical step in NRO’s plan to leverage next generation commercial radar providers to deliver innovative, resilient, and responsive satellite imagery for intelligence, defense, and humanitarian efforts.
ICEYE US builds and operates U.S.-licensed SAR spacecraft from its facility in Irvine, California. The company successfully launched its first-ever satellite earlier this month with SpaceX and Exolaunch. ICEYE’s satellites are small, each weighing about 220 pounds, but provide customers with detailed images and measurements of activities on the surface of the Earth. Such satellites can be continually improved on ground and in space with new technologies and in response to specific customer requirements.
At any given time, most of the Earth is covered in clouds or darkness. Unlike traditional Earth observation satellites, ICEYE’s small radar imaging satellites can form high-resolution images of areas of the Earth in daylight, at night, and through cloud cover. In other words, they can “see” any part of the Earth multiple times a day. ICEYE’s satellites can collect images over wide areas and even more detailed images over smaller points of interest. This provides customers with persistent coverage of fast breaking events on the ground in all weather conditions.
“ICEYE US is privileged to be recognized as a NRO mission partner,” said Jerry Welsh, CEO of ICEYE US. “We are committed to advancing state-of-the-art commercial remote sensing capabilities for the U.S. Government and dramatically improving NRO’s access to flight-proven satellites that collect high resolution radar imagery anywhere on Earth.”
“Our objective with this NRO effort is to demonstrate how ICEYE spacecraft provide global situational awareness and complement existing government systems so that NRO can best satisfy future U.S. Government GEOINT requirements,” said Eric Jensen, President of ICEYE US. “We are delighted to partner with NRO to equip end users with the most relevant, high-quality data needed to support critical decision-making.”
