PARIS \u2014 Finland\u2019s ICEYE has a \u201cvery big role to play\u201d in giving Europe sovereign access to satellite intelligence, without having to rely on the United States, the company\u2019s Vice President for Missions Joost Elstak said.<\/p>\n
European interest in ICEYE rose after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. But it was the U.S. halting intelligence sharing with Ukraine in March 2025 that really underscored the need for sovereign access to space-based intel, Elstak told Defense News.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key thing it proved is that you need independent capabilities, and you need a strong alliance,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t rely on just one node, whoever that node may be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, was seen as the toughest area for Europe to achieve self-sufficiency<\/a>, according to a Defense News survey in February. Most of the surveyed defense experts estimated Europe would need five to 10 years to build sufficient capacity to no longer rely on U.S. space intel.<\/p>\n Since then, and following the U.S. data-sharing pause, ICEYE has signed contracts with the armed forces of Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Finland. All four will have their own deployed capabilities within the next 12 months, with multiple satellites in orbit before 2028, Elstak said.<\/p>\n Europe can achieve \u201cresilience\u201d in space-based ISR, he argued, citing the Dutch example. ICEYE launched the first satellite for the Royal Netherlands Air Force within four months of the June contract, and all four ordered spacecraft are expected to be operational within 24 months.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it is within reach, right?\u201d said Elstak.<\/p>\n ICEYE has provided radar-satellite data to Ukraine since 2022, including during the U.S. intel-sharing halt. Experience supplying Ukraine helped the company refine its offering for defense users, said Elstak, who joined the Finnish company in 2023 from Airbus.<\/p>\n As ICEYE adds military customers and becomes more integrated into Europe\u2019s defense-information flows, \u201cwe\u2019re becoming more and more of a defense-intelligence company,\u201d Elstak said.<\/p>\n He said ICEYE\u2019s ability to deliver everything from satellites to ground stations, data analysis and training positions it closer to a large space integrator such as Airbus than SAR-data providers Capella Space and Umbra.<\/p>\n Founded in 2014 as a Finnish university spin-off, ICEYE supplies Earth-observation data using synthetic aperture radar, or SAR for short. Because SAR can collect imagery regardless of cloud cover or time of day, any space-based ISR solution is bound to have a \u201cSAR backbone,\u201d Elstak said.<\/p>\n The firm operates what it describes as the world\u2019s largest SAR constellation, with 20 to 30 active satellites, according to Elstak. This allows ICEYE to provide a radar image from any location roughly every 30 to 60 minutes, unrestricted by U.S. export regulations, which the executive called \u201cquite a unique proposition\u201d for the price.<\/p>\n Through its Missions business, governments can buy ICEYE radar satellites and operate them independently. Between five and 10 sovereign satellites are currently in orbit, with at least another 10 to 15 to be launched in the next two years, according to Elstak.<\/p>\n Almost all sovereign customers are also data clients, according to Elstak. He said military customers want their own minimum national capability, but are then happy to procure additional commercial data from ICEYE through credits or leased capacity.<\/p>\n Elstak declined to discuss pricing but referred to ICEYE\u2019s contract with Poland for a reference<\/a>. In May, the company agreed to provide Poland with an initial batch of three SAR satellites, with an option for three more, under an agreement<\/a> worth around \u20ac200 million.<\/p>\n Elstak said an ICEYE constellation is far cheaper than previous generations of SAR systems, such as Germany\u2019s SARah constellation, which cost around \u20ac1 billion for three satellites.<\/p>\n The company in September introduced ISR Cell<\/a>, a containerized system that gives ground forces tactical access to space-based ISR, aiming to get satellite intel to the battlefield within minutes. First customer deliveries are expected in early 2026.<\/p>\n