World leader in Earth observation made in Europe: Small satellites from Finland see everything

Published on 15/05/2026 - 15:00 GMT+2

Two young innovators from Poland and Finland person built 1 of the world’s champion outer systems. The radar sensors of ICEYE show lipid spills, hurricanes and wood fires from an altitude of 600 km. The nanosatellites observe amerciable loggers, cod information connected flooding, and support an oculus connected the movements of subject equipment.

Even done unreality screen and successful the mediate of the night, the tiny satellites present ultra-precise elaborate images. They place craft types astatine hostile airports. The eyes of ICEYE way suspicious vessel movements crossed immense stretches of ocean.

The 4th procreation of satellites presently successful orbit (weight: 200 kg) improves the solution from 25 cm to 16 cm. “And that's not the extremity of it”, says Damon Ollomon, 1 of the vice presidents of ICEYE, successful an interrogation with Euronews.

The ICEYE squad successful Helsinki is peculiarly arrogant of its accelerated effect time. “We tin present images wrong 2 hours, and we purpose to trim that to little than 10 minutes”, said Ollomon.

ICEYE presently operates a constellation of much than 70 satellites successful Earth orbit. “We nutrient 25 satellites a twelvemonth and are present expanding this to 50 per year”, says Ollomon.

ICEYE was founded successful 2014, and start-up superior was provided by the EU. The institution has subsidiaries successful Poland, Spain, Germany, and Greece, among others, and employs astir 1,000 radical from 70 countries. Last year, ICEYE achieved a turnover of EUR 250 million.

In an interrogation with Euronews, Pekka Laurila, 1 of the founders of ICEYE, offered a portion of proposal to the EU: “Take risks and enactment ambitious plans into enactment instantly – not 10 years from now. Europe has resources. So astatine the precise least, we should purpose to go the champion successful the world. Take this seriously!”