ICEYE, the European leader in sovereign intelligence from space, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arianespace. Under this agreement, the two companies will explore the use of Arianespace’s launch services for future missions carrying ICEYE satellites aboard Ariane 6 – a European heavy-lift launcher, specifically targeting European governmental and institutional missions.
Credit: ICEYE
Under the MoU, ICEYE and Arianespace are discussing booking launch services in the coming years. The MoU highlights ICEYE’s ongoing commitment to the European launch ecosystem and its active participation in boosting Europe’s launch capacity. ICEYE aims to ensure European sovereign access to space for its partners and customers.
The potential cooperation would combine Ariane 6’s launch capabilities with ICEYE’s expertise in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation, helping to meet Europe’s strategic needs for sovereign access to space and Earth observation data.
Developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), with ArianeGroup as prime contractor, Ariane 6 is Europe’s new-generation heavy-lift launcher, providing a sovereign, reliable launch system to Europe, while serving both institutional and commercial customers worldwide. Arianespace brings a proven track record to orbit: 362 completed launches and over 1,200 satellites deployed for 150 global customers. Ariane 6 has already successfully completed nine flights, including four this year.
ICEYE’s production rate is now doubling, from 50 satellites per year today to a target of 100 annually in 2027 and beyond.
Rafał Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE, said: “This MoU allows us to explore Ariane 6 as a large, highly reliable, European launch provider, supporting the delivery of sovereign missions for customers. Scaling our satellite production goes hand in hand with scaling resilient, multiple routes to space, and we are deeply committed to reinforcing the continent’s sovereign space infrastructure.”
David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace, said: “We are delighted to partner with ICEYE, an innovative and fast-growing European company. This partnership illustrates our commitment to maintaining sovereign access to space and supporting critical capabilities such as Earth observation. This agreement further illustrates Arianespace’s commitment to supporting European governments and institutions and contributing to a strong and autonomous European space sector.”
ICEYE-built constellations are available as a fully sovereign capability, free from ITAR restrictions. ICEYE delivers constellations as part of a complete, secure system that can be launched, deployed, and operational within 12 months, including ground segment, comprehensive training, and continuous software updates. Seven governments to date across Europe have procured sovereign constellations from ICEYE, making it the leading European provider of space-based intelligence.