Eycore SAR payload assembly. Photo: Eycore

Polish payload developer Eycore will fly its first synthetic aperture radar (SAR) demonstrator on a Kongsberg NanoAvionics satellite bus under a deal announced Thursday. 

The flight will test Eycore’s X-band radar on NanoAvionics’ MP42 microsatellite bus, scheduled to launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission in the first quarter of 2026. Eycore has developed a deployable active phased-array antenna with five panels, one fixed and four unfolding in space to create a large aperture. 

The companies have also been working together on a satellite bus and next-generation payload that would offer even higher resolution, wider swath, longer imaging times, higher incidence angle, and other improvements. The goal is to develop an all-European, military-grade SAR solution for governments for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), border security, maritime domain awareness, and disaster response.

“Partnering with a reliable bus provider like Kongsberg NanoAvionics lets us focus on perfecting our SAR technology while de-risking the platform, launch, and operations,” said Tomasz Kusowski, Eycore co-founder. “This demonstrator is the springboard for high-performance European SAR satellites that will deliver tactical data for national security and defense applications.”