On Monday, January 19, 2026, the Polish-Finnish company ICEYE, a leader in Earth observation using satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), signed an agreement with an institution operating within the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine that significantly expands cooperation between the two parties in the field of intelligence data collection using the space domain. The agreement guarantees Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence continued access to a large volume of high-resolution satellite imagery via ICEYE’s world-leading SAR satellite constellation. Based on this data, the Ministry of Defence will be able to continuously update the operational picture and maintain enhanced situational awareness at the tactical level.
Crimea bridge / Photo: ICEYE
The agreement represents a natural extension of the support that ICEYE has been continuously providing to Ukraine since 2022 and confirms that intelligence data acquired from space is not only an important strategic tool, but also a tactical one, supporting decision-making and operational planning. Thanks to expanded access to data from the ICEYE constellation, Ukraine can assess changes in monitored areas more quickly and accurately, reducing the time required for verification where every minute counts.
With the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation, ICEYE provides global access to imagery with a resolution of up to 16 cm and the highest revisit rate on the market. Because the satellites use radar beams rather than sunlight to generate imagery, ICEYE’s technology can “see” at night and through clouds and smoke, delivering reliable imagery where optical sensors have limited effectiveness. This is a key element of advantage in the Ukrainian theater of operations, where environmental conditions often constrain the performance of conventional sensors. As a result, continuous access to imagery is a requirement driven by tactical needs.
John Cartwright, Senior VP of Data Product at ICEYE, stated:
“ICEYE is proud and humbled to have supported Ukraine’s defense teams with reliable, near-real-time space-based intelligence since the beginning of the invasion. Today’s operational environment makes one thing clear: space is no longer only a strategic domain, it is a tactical layer of defense. That requires space-based intelligence that can be acted on in near real time, day or night, in any weather.”
“This agreement strengthens assured access to our high-resolution SAR imagery, helping Ukraine make decisions faster and with greater confidence. ICEYE stands firmly with Ukraine in the face of these hostilities, and is deeply committed to strengthening Europe’s security more widely by ensuring our allies have the best decision-ready data when they need it most,” he continued.
ICEYE’s technology enables the acquisition of high-resolution imagery – down to 16 cm – from fourth-generation satellites, as well as operation in wide-area modes such as Scan Wide, covering areas measuring up to 200 km by 300 km. In addition, ICEYE’s electronically steered beam technology allows dozens of high-resolution scenes to be captured within just a few minutes of satellite imaging.
ICEYE for Ukraine at war
It is worth recalling that on August 18, 2022, ICEYE announced the signing of a contract worth 600 million UAH with the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation, aimed at providing the Government of Ukraine with capabilities to acquire SAR satellite imagery delivered by ICEYE. The funds came from donations collected from Ukrainian citizens. Under the agreement, one of ICEYE’s satellites was made available for use by the Ukrainian government in the region. In addition, ICEYE granted access to its SAR satellite constellation, enabling the Armed Forces of Ukraine to receive radar satellite imagery of operationally critical locations with a high revisit rate.
The first information on the effectiveness of the acquired capabilities was published by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR MO) on June 26, 2024. As a result, on July 8 of the same year, ICEYE and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Helsinki to strengthen joint efforts. Subsequently, on November 11, 2024, the German group Rheinmetall AG disclosed that, under an agreement with the government in Berlin, it had provided Ukraine with access to a second SAR satellite through cooperation with ICEYE concluded in September of that year. In addition, Ukraine has access to ICEYE’s entire constellation, which, as of December last year, consists of 62 satellites.
On March 4, 2025, the Ukrainian daily Ekonomichna Pravda (part of European Pravda) published details obtained from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine regarding the use of ICEYE’s SAR radar satellites.
Ukraine is expanding its partnership with ICEYE, strengthening assured access to high-resolution SAR imagery for faster, all-weather tactical decision-making, day or night.
Read the full press release here: https://t.co/cvsAMJ6Y9f pic.twitter.com/pl6Kd18MAr
— ICEYE (@iceye_global) January 19, 2026
See also:
- ICEYE to deliver sovereign space-based intelligence capabilities to the Swedish Armed Forces
- ICEYE and General Catalyst Join Forces to Redefine Satellite Reconnaissance in Europe
- ICEYE and Portuguese Air Force announce first direct satellite procurement
- Rheinmetall and ICEYE establish joint venture in Neuss
- ICEYE launches Tactical Access, providing guaranteed satellite tasking for time-critical missions
- ICEYE and IHI sign agreement to build an Earth observation satellite constellation
- ICEYE launches the ISR Cell, bringing tactical space-based intelligence anywhere
- ICEYE launches high-performance Gen4 satellite for commercial operations
- ICEYE signs contract with the Finnish Defense Forces for the purchase of satellites