The Finnish-Polish company ICEYE is set to launch up to 18 satellites into space.

Equipped with SAR-radar the satellites can observe earth day and night, regardless of weather conditions.

The biggest advantage of many small satellites is the short data transfer time, which can help to identify natural disasters quickly.

During 2018, the first Finnish-Polish observation satellite will be launched into orbit. It is to be the first in a constellation of 18 cooperating satellites, Business Insider Polska reports. The satellites are a joint venture between the companies Creotech Instruments and ICEYE.

The commercial satellite ICEYE-X2 will weigh approximately 85 kg and is created by the Finnish-Polish company ICEYE. With the satellite’s SAR-radar (Synthetic-aperture radar) it will allow observation of the Earth regardless of weather conditions such as cloudiness and darkness.

A letter of intent has been signed between the two companies and the plan is to have up to 18 satellites in space within five years.

According to ICEYE CEO Rafał Modrzewski, the biggest advantage of having many small satellites is the transfer time, or, in other words, how quickly they are able to identify a problem. If there is a natural disaster somewhere, the 18 satellites will be able to detect and relay the information within three hours.

In addition to the possibility of monitoring natural disasters, the network of small satellites will serve many other uses, like detecting oil spills, and monitoring coastal zones or infrastructure.

Source: nordic.businessinsider.com

Photo: kongsberg.com