ICEYE, the Finnish Earth observation company, is pushing the limits of satellite technology. Its fourth-generation nanosatellites, orbiting 600 km above Earth, now deliver radar images with a resolution of just 16 centimeters-down from 25 cm. That level of clarity allows the system to identify aircraft types at hostile airports and track suspicious ships across oceans, day or night, through cloud cover.
Damon Ollomon, a vice president at ICEYE, told Euronews the company aims to cut its image delivery time from two hours to less than ten minutes. The fleet already includes more than 70 satellites, with production scaling from 25 to 50 units per year.
Founded in 2014 with EU start-up capital, ICEYE now employs about 1,000 people across subsidiaries in Poland, Spain, Germany, and Greece. Last year, the company posted revenue of EUR 250 million.
Co-founder Pekka Laurila urged the EU to act boldly: "Take risks and put ambitious plans into action immediately-not 10 years from now. Europe has resources. So at the very least, we should aim to become the best in the world."