EYCORE, a leading player in the Polish space sector, officially revealed the first imagery from the EYCORE-1 satellite during MSPO in Kielce last week, confirming the company’s proprietary synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems operates successfully under real orbital conditions – an important milestone for the company. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in May.
“The acquisition of the first imagery from a Polish SAR satellite confirms that Poland is capable of developing advanced Earth observation technologies. I am particularly pleased that this is the success of a Polish company that is building capabilities important for national defence and security, the protection of critical infrastructure and for our technological sovereignty. I especially appreciate that EYCORE invests in young Polish talent and builds its solutions around them. This is the best investment in securing our future. Space technologies have already become one of the key pillars of defence capability and are gaining enormous strategic importance in both civilian and military applications,” commented Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The imagery confirms the operation of the entire technology chain: from the radar and deployable antenna, through to the operation of all the satellite subsystems in orbit, the data transmission, reception and final processing on Earth. SAR is an active radar-based Earth observation technology which enables observations regardless of the time of day and under conditions that significantly limit the capabilities of conventional satellite imagery.
Dr Maciej Klemm, EYCORE’s CEO, added: “Today, I am proud to announce that Polish radar technology is operating in space. We are the second private company in Europe to have demonstrated our own SAR technology in orbit. It is an honour for us to present this achievement today to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, particularly as our capabilities will contribute to Poland’s security and defence capabilities […] The first imagery is the most important confirmation for us that the technology developed by the Polish team works in orbit. EYCORE-1 has accomplished the task for which it was built, as a demonstrator. We are now moving to the next stage: applying our experience to the development of new systems and products for which demand is growing worldwide. The revolution in space-based SAR systems is only beginning, and we are at the forefront of this transformation”.
The satellite platform, provided by Kongsberg NanoAvionics, carried aloft the key SAR payload, designed, developed and built by EYCORE. Acquiring real-world imagery gives the technology operational heritage in orbit and strengthens the company’s credibility with customers and partners. The solution has been designed in a modular fashion, enabling the company’s SAR sensors to be integrated with microsatellite platforms from multiple manufacturers. EYCORE can supply the radar system itself or participate in the design and delivery of complete Earth observation systems.
The expertise gained during the commissioning, calibration and operation of EYCORE-1 is being applied to the company’s subsequent projects, including the Country Awareness Mission in Land Analysis (CAMILA) programme. Conducted in cooperation with the European Space Agency, the programme is intended to lead to the development of a national satellite constellation. Creotech Instruments is the prime contractor for the system, while EYCORE is responsible for developing and delivering the SAR radar component.
The orbital experience gained from EYCORE-1 helps reduce technical risk in subsequent missions and optimise future generations of radar systems. For EYCORE, it also represents another step towards building a European space capability chain – from sensor design, through production and integration, to orbital operations and data processing.
Headline image Mount Darwin in Chile from orbit via EYCORE-1 (EYCORE)
