Ukraine bought ICEYE satellite capacity providing hi-res Earth surface imagery

Ukraine has acquired a satellite made by the Finnish aerospace company ICEYE for $17 million, which will enable it to get high-resolution images of the Earth's surface regardless of the time of day and weather conditions.

The news has been posted on the Facebook page of the charitable foundation run by Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula. Ukraine has also acquired access to the company's data for one year, according to The Insider. 

Thanks to the high resolution of the imagery, up to 25 centimetres per pixel, it is possible to distinguish individual people in the microwave images.

Prytula says that to date ICEYE has the most advanced satellite radar imaging technology, which will help meet the needs of the Ukrainian Government and significantly help the country’s Armed Forces to observe combat operations.

Alpha Centauri writes that ICEYE constellation satellites observe the Earth in the microwave (SAR) range, and the data is updated every few hours.

Earlier, Sergey Prytula's Foundation raised funds for the purchase of three Bayraktars made by the Turkish aircraft manufacturer Baykar Makina. Baykar then decided to donate three drones to Ukraine, donating the collected funds to the Armed Forces of the country.

Norway and Canada have also launched a campaign to raise money for the purchase of Turkish drones. Lithuania managed to raise €5 million for the purchase of a Bayraktar drone in just three days. The Turkish manufacturer said it would once again donate the drone to Ukraine, and the money raised could be used for the country’s other needs.

“Bayraktar” is the common name for drones made by the Turkish company Baykar Makina, founded by Ozdemir Bayraktar. One of his sons, Selcuk Bayraktar, who became the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is now the director and co-owner of the company. The most famous of the company's drones are the Bayraktar TB2, the model used by the Ukrainian armed forces.

It can stay in the air for up to 24 hours, climb to an altitude of 8.2 km and attack targets located within the range of 8 km. In 2018, Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey on the supply of drones, and during the Russian invasion the Bayraktar became one of the symbols of the Ukrainian army.