On SpaceX Falcon 9 small spaceship rideshare mission planned for launch on January 21, Iceye plans to carry triple Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites into the orbit. Iceye aims to extend the constellation with the forthcoming release also to include 6 SAR satellites. “In a report, Iceye US Chief executive Jerry Welsh stated, “We are delighted to commence 2021 with the liftoff of 3 latest satellites. This is the beginning of a major improvement in the development of satellites from our enlarged sites in Europe as well as from a new assembly facility in the United States. This will allow Iceye the ability to serve multinational clients while meeting unique U.S. consumer needs as well.
Iceye has set up offices in the United Kingdom, Poland and the United States since the firm started in Finland in 2014. Iceye started assessing potential sites for a U.S. production facility in 2020. The first tiny SAR satellite was deployed in early 2018 by Iceye. The organization has extended its Earth-observation network over the last 3 years as well as launched a dedicated client spacecraft. For an unspecified mission, the forthcoming SpaceX launch involves a second dedicated mission.