A Cosmic Turnaround in the Polish Army. We Will Gain Completely New "Eyes"

• This is one of the most important challenges today: strengthening national security and building Poland's independence in the area of ​​space technologies.
• Poland's activity in this area should also ensure greater integration of Polish space companies in the supply chain for small satellites.
• The recently concluded agreements aimed at giving our military independence in accessing satellite data may prove that we understand the importance of the challenges.

The threats coming from Washington about abandoning Europe acted as a wake-up call. The possibility of stopping the transmission of key intelligence information caused concern. It is also a signal for Poland to build its own space reconnaissance. There is something to fight for.

We will not be at the forefront of space conquest for long. We have too much catching up to do in terms of our own satellite reconnaissance systems. However, the time for waiting is over. The lack of such capabilities would be a huge burden on the defense potential of the armed forces.

Let us emphasize that there is something to fight for. Experts have calculated that every złoty invested in the space industry returns to the Polish economy with a seven-fold profit, providing the opportunity to use new technologies and services provided by the space industry. The Ministry of National Defense has already taken certain steps to take advantage of this.

One example of this is the contract signed in mid-May 2025 by the Armament Agency with a consortium consisting of ICEYE Polska and Wojskowe Zakłady Łączności No. 1 for the supply of the Earth Observation Satellite System in the MikroSAR program for the Polish Army .

Under this contract, the Polish-Finnish company is to deliver three radar satellites for the MikroSAR program and provide the armed forces with independence in terms of acquiring radar image data. The value of the contract is estimated at approximately PLN 860 million . The contract also includes an option to purchase another three satellites and a ground segment within 12 months.

ICEYE owns and operates the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation . From 2018 to 2024, the company launched 38 satellites for its own constellation or for international customers. If it launches an additional 20 satellites in 2025, as planned, it will be the largest satellite constellation built by a European entity.

The company is a European supplier of reconnaissance systems, but also operates on the global market. Among other things, it supplies satellite data to Suhora Technologies Pvt. Ltd from India, which deals with software and analysis of geospatial data.

We join the ranks of armed forces that have satellite reconnaissance technologies at their disposal

The company provides unlimited access and the highest return visit frequency available on the market. SAR satellites enable continuous monitoring of the situation on the Earth's surface, regardless of the time of day and weather conditions.

If the sky is overcast, even the best camera taken from space is useless. But if you use a satellite with SAR radar, you can easily get a detailed picture. The war in Ukraine shows how satellite systems have changed the way warfare is conducted. ICEYE satellites have been supporting Ukrainians since almost the very beginning of the war.

- It turned out that the applications that were designed as civilian, very quickly gave the Ukrainians an advantage on the battlefield and this advantage is maintained in the field of satellite observation to this day. We are such a company that is de facto responsible for 70-80 percent of radar data provided to the military intelligence of Ukraine - said Witold Witkowicz, president of ICEYE Polska, at the 17th European Economic Congress .

Currently, it is mainly satellites that provide aerial reconnaissance. This often replaces, for example, aerial reconnaissance. The pilot does not have to fly over a specific area to take photos, which exposes him to the risk of being shot down. A satellite will do it faster and safer. That is why satellite reconnaissance systems are being developed more and more intensively.

They are already key from the point of view of conducting modern armed conflicts . That is why our own space reconnaissance capabilities, which we will finally have - independent of foreign partners - are extremely valuable for Poland's defense.

With this type of systems at our disposal, thanks to the possibilities provided by the Mobile ISR Satellite Reconnaissance Platform, because this is the product for the military we are talking about in this case, we will join the still narrow group of armed forces that have similar technologies at their disposal.

- Imaging is the foundation of defense effectiveness, as the situation in Ukraine has shown us. No one on NATO's eastern flank has these capabilities. This is the best technology in the world. These are not only the best capabilities, but also the fastest to obtain - said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz after signing the agreement.

He assured that this agreement brings benefits not only to the Polish Army, but also to other sectors of our country. We gain unique imaging capabilities, operating in the operational field, on the battlefield, but also in the security space of the Polish economy, agriculture and forestry.

The possibility of long-range reconnaissance and effective guidance of long-range missiles is important

The satellites’ synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems will allow the military to obtain images of the Earth’s surface at a resolution of about 25 cm, regardless of the time of day, weather, and cloud cover. It only takes fifteen minutes for a satellite image to be in the hands of a military analyst.

For three years, the Ukrainian armed forces have been using data collected by the most modern SAR satellites and analyzed by the ICEYE production system. Currently, about 80 percent of the satellite data that Ukraine receives is provided by the Polish-Finnish company .

- Our advanced, operationally proven satellite system will provide decision-makers with intelligence information, the ability to prepare and respond effectively in an environment full of challenges and uncertainty, and will increase Polish defense capabilities - said Rafał Modrzewski, president and co-founder of ICEYE, during this year's European Economic Congress in Katowice.

Poland's activity in the space segment has increased significantly recently. We are buying many long-range weapon systems, considered the best deterrent. We will produce 80 km range missiles for Chunmoo in Poland, and possibly missiles with a range of 290 km, or maybe even more.

Without satellite reconnaissance, most of these systems would be difficult to use effectively. The purchase of satellites will significantly increase the versatility and effectiveness of the Polish Armed Forces' reconnaissance system. When you know this, the word "breakthrough" in this case does not seem so much of an exaggeration.

That is why it is so important to have the ability to reconnaissance far away and effectively guide long-range missiles to their targets. Armies that do not quickly move into space will be left behind in the technologies necessary to conduct combat operations in the event of a modern conflict.

Many Polish companies have set out to conquer space.

The contract signed in May with ICEYE is not the only example of the fact that the Ministry of National Defense and the army are beginning to understand the challenges related to space reconnaissance.

Previously, the Polish military and companies cooperated mainly with foreign companies, increasing their capabilities and potential. In December 2022, Airbus Defence and Space signed a contract with the Armament Agency for the delivery of the POLEOS geospatial reconnaissance system for the design, production, launch and delivery into orbit of two very high resolution optical satellites intended for Earth observation. The value of this contract is EUR 575 million net.

The launch of the satellites into orbit is planned for 2027. However, in 2023, Airbus has committed to providing the Polish side with very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery collected by the Pléiades Neo constellation. Two satellites of this constellation are already in orbit.

For example, in June 2024, Polish space company Eycore, which manufactures and sells SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites and radars developed by scientists and engineers from Polish technical universities, presented its first satellite for geospatial radar imaging (SAR). Its launch is planned for the fourth quarter of 2025.

The WB Group, the largest Polish manufacturer offering communication and command technologies, grouping civilian companies, has also set out to conquer space. As part of this expansion, in 2024 the WB Group established the Space Technology Center (CTK) within the Radmor company based in Gdynia.

The aim of CTK is to develop capabilities in the design, construction and integration of satellite systems, which aims to ensure Poland's independence in the area of ​​space technologies. To this end, Radmor (part of the WB Group) signed a cooperation agreement with Thorium Space in the field of construction of satellite platforms, cryptographic systems and communication technologies.

There will be more and more satellites from Poland

Let us add that the WB Group has supplied, among other things, satellite components, including structural panels for the CHIME mission, carried out by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of the European Space Agency. Now it plans to launch its first satellite equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) into orbit in 2025.

Ultimately , a constellation consisting of 16 satellites built in Poland, with Polish transmission keys and for the Polish military, is to be created . As declared by Grupa WB, within three years Polish satellites will be in orbit, which could be a breakthrough moment for the domestic space industry.

There are more such examples. In April this year at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, during the third edition of the Security Conference - organized by the European Space Agency (3rd ESA Security Conference), Creotech Instruments signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the implementation of the CAMILA project - Country Awareness Mission in Land Analysis, as part of the program called the National Earth Observation Project.

It assumes the construction of a full satellite system based to the maximum extent on Polish technologies. Its effect is to be an operational system consisting of at least three satellites, as well as the consolidation and support of Polish technical thought.

The agreement assumes the construction of a national constellation of at least three observation satellites, including one radar and two optical ones. One of them is to be high-resolution, the other lower.

The company will work on the satellite constellation in the CAMILA programme, which is scheduled for completion in December 2027, with leading Polish space sector companies that have many years of experience in cooperation with ESA.

The contract also includes their launch into orbit, comprehensive management of the space mission also includes investments in the development of ground infrastructure. Its value is approximately 52 million euros.

The company admits that this would not have been possible if the Polish government had not strongly supported the development of the space industry in our country by increasing the contribution paid to the European Space Agency for the years 2023-2025. This has made it possible to implement the CAMILA and MIKROGLOB programs, as well as the flight of the Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski into space.

New projects could increase Poland's independence in communications and Earth observation

Creotech Instruments is working in a consortium here. Other Polish companies are also involved: CloudFerro and Eycore from Warsaw, KP Labs from Gliwice, Scanway from Wrocław and GMV Innovating Solutions. In total, the work on the CAMILA system will be carried out by people in Poland.

There are more companies in Poland that have become involved in the production of satellite systems and components for them. These include Astri Polska, which provides solutions for European space programs, MetOp-SG, Eurostar Neo and JUICE.

It is also the Silesian Science and Technology Centre of the Aviation Industry - it is involved in the development of aviation and space technologies, and the company Cilium Engineering deals with the design and implementation of technologies for the space sector.

According to the Polish Space Agency , there are over 300 companies related to the space industry in Poland, employing approximately 12,000 people , whose activities include robotics, optical and communication systems and the development of suborbital rockets.

Creotech, together with the German company OHB, is also preparing an in-orbit test mission and a robotic mission aimed at capturing objects remaining in space.

Creotech also signed an agreement to start strategic cooperation with Thorium Space, a company specializing in satellite technologies and space communication systems . The company brings to this project many years of experience in the design and integration of satellite communication systems, including antennas with electronically steered beams, and its satellite communication offer is bundled with proprietary ground terminals.

These ambitious projects, if they do not disappear from the radar of the government and the military, can significantly increase Poland's independence in terms of communication and Earth observation. It is important that they are feasible. Private companies, for the most part, do not look to the military for subsidies for their projects, which does not mean that it should be so. This is a great convenience for the military, but in no way a reason to wash our hands of cooperation and assistance for these companies.