Photo of contract signing provided by ICEYE

ICEYE has made inroads into Portugal with a breakthrough SAR satellite deal. The Portuguese Air Force, a branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces is purchasing one ICEYE SAR satellite, a ground segment and an antenna. ICEYE will deliver the satellite and other components to CTI Aerospacial, a joint venture between the Portuguese Air Force and CEiiA, a local center of engineering and innovation. The parties are in discussions relating to the purchase of additional satellites in the future. ICEYE announced the deal, June 13.

This satellite will be part of the Portuguese component of the Atlantic Constellation,  a project for a constellation of small EO satellites, primarily driven by Spain and Portugal, that aims to provide high-frequency data for environmental monitoring and disaster relief, complementing existing European systems like Copernicus. Additionally, ICEYE and CTI Aeroespacial have agreed to collaborate to strengthen Portugal’s national space capabilities by establishing a satellite assembly facility in Portugal.

ICEYE’s European, sovereign, non-ITAR technology aims to enable the rapid delivery of ISR capabilities to its customers. ICEYE has launched 48 SAR satellites into orbit for the company and its customers since 2018 and plans to launch more than 20 new satellites annually in 2025, 2026, and beyond. ICEYE’s previous launches in January and March 2025 both successfully deployed four new satellites each.

“Within the scope of Security and Defense, the Air Force’s vision is to deliver aerospace power enhancing the assigned missions by providing the Air Force with data and information capabilities that guarantee situational awareness and control of the use of space in the areas of national interest and simultaneously, foster the development and integration of new processes, services or products based on scientific and technological knowledge with high added value,” General João Cartaxo Alves, Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Air Force, said in a statement.