HELSINKI, Finland — ICEYE, a global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operations, and the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa) have formalized a contract for the direct procurement of a SAR satellite.
This milestone acquisition marks the first time the Portuguese Air Force will directly own a satellite, significantly enhancing Portugal’s national Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) defense capabilities in the space domain.
Under the agreement, ICEYE will deliver a state-of-the-art SAR satellite, providing the Air Force with advanced capabilities for persistent surveillance and situational awareness. The inherent advantages of ICEYE’s SAR technology—including all-weather, day-and-night imaging and rapid revisit rates—ensure reliable monitoring regardless of environmental conditions.
Direct satellite ownership provides the Portuguese Air Force with full operational control over data acquisition and mission planning. This flexibility enables rapid response for military missions, maritime security challenges, environmental monitoring, and the safeguarding of national interests, particularly the protection of Portugal’s Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ).
Jordi Laguarda, VP Missions Spain and Portugal at ICEYE, stated:
“This agreement represents a major step forward in strengthening Portugal’s sovereign space capabilities and demonstrates the Air Force’s commitment to innovation and operational excellence. We are proud to support the Portuguese Air Force as they advance their mission in the new space domain.”
This acquisition directly supports Portugal’s broader defense modernization agenda. The Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Air Force, General João Cartaxo Alves, emphasized the strategic importance of the move: “This is a historic moment for Portugal in general and for the Portuguese Air Force in particular. By acquiring its own capabilities to operate in space, the Air Force enters a new dimension, where Space has replaced the sky as the new operational frontier.”
General Alves noted that this technological innovation strengthens the autonomous capacity of the Air Force to ensure permanent surveillance of the national territory—land, sea, and air—under any weather condition.
While this marks the first satellite entirely owned by the Portuguese Air Force, it is the second SAR asset to be operated by the institution. The first SAR satellite, acquired on June 12, 2025, through an agreement between ICEYE and CTI Aeroespacial (a Portuguese technology and innovation center), is also operated by the Air Force.