Polish space company Eycore launches first SAR
WARSAW, Poland-Poland-based space firm Eycore launched its Eycore-1 Earth observation satellite equipped with its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology on May 3 aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, becoming Europe's second private company to own its SAR satellite.
This launch is expected to help the firm test its solutions in orbit and for Poland represents a step in the development of the POLSARIS military radar constellation, which will provide the country’s armed forces with Earth monitoring capabilities.
The company is focused on developing and delivering advanced payloads and satellites with SARs to deliver high resolution imagery of Earth's surface regardless of time of day or weather, Tomasz Kusowski, Eycore's vice president of the board and co-founder, told SpaceNews.
"A key component of our offer is a portfolio of miniaturised radar sensors with low mass and optimal power consumption, which can be carried on satellites with lower mass than conventional SARs," Kusowski said.
At the same time, Eycore is preparing a 50 million zloty (approximately $14 million) investment aimed at increasing its manufacturing capacity. These funds will be allocated to building a new radar satellite production facility in Poland.
"The investment is an important element of the 'Kaszubia Green Industrial District' project, supported by the Ministry of National Defense," said Kusowski. "It will include a new company headquarters in Gdynia, a production hall and cleanrooms needed for the production of precision radar technologies," he added.
The company is currently involved in projects for a number of partners, including joint ventures for the European Space Agency (ESA).
Kusowski mentioned the CAMILA project as an example, a €52 million ($61 million) initiative to build a national satellite constellation with Earth observation satellites and dedicated ground segment infrastructure. Eycore will work together with Creotech, a prime contractor for this program and also a Polish company, on the development of "four microsatellites-three optical and one radar-and Eycore is responsible for developing the latter," said Kusowski.
Work on the Eycore-1 program has also allowed Eycore to pursue the development of new collaborative projects with Kongsberg NanoAvionics (KNA), a small satellite mission integrator developing new generation satellite buses. Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace acquired Lithuania-based NanoAvionics in 2022.
"This partnership is based on complementary capabilities: Eycore's SAR radar is paired with KNA's satellite platform to provide rapid, sovereign access to high resolution imagery day and night, in all weather conditions," said Kusowski.
The Polish company is also in discussions with several "global satellite system integrators" interested in incorporating Eycore's radar sensors into their satellite constellations, though further details could not be disclosed.
Headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, Eycore also has an office in Bristol, U.K., and is actively developing its international business. It is a spin-off of Polish radar manufacturer Advanced Protection Systems.
Reference
by Jarosław Adamowski
Polish space company Eycore launches first SAR Earth observation satellite
Available at https://spacenews.com/polish-space-company-eycore-launches-first-sar-earth-observation-satellite/
(Assessed: 12th May 2026)
