Poland-based Eycore, which was established three years ago on the back of Polish radar specialist Advanced Protection Systems (APS), is setting out to establish a sovereign Polish/European, military-standard, satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging capability.
Speaking to ESD on 3 June 2025, Eycore CEO Dr Maciej Klemm explained the key drivers behind the company’s mission.
“In the Ukraine war we have very good examples of how space technology is changing the defence picture, how it is becoming more and more important, on even a tactical level,” he said. “A very good example is Starlink with the communication technology, but SAR technology, or space imaging technologies, are at least as important, and they are used heavily by the Ukrainians [in countering the Russian invasion].”
Klemm noted, however, that there are two problematic issues associated with the provision of space-based technology to Ukraine and other European countries. Firstly, reliance on non-European-sovereign technology can mean that the service can be turned off, as happened to Ukraine at the beginning of 2025, when the Trump administration decided to stop sharing its space-based intelligence with Kyiv, forcing Ukraine to partner with Japanese company iQPS to provide geospatial imagery to Ukraine’s military intelligence service (GUR).
Secondly, while there are already Europe-based companies offering SAR imagery, this technology is fundamentally derived from the commercial market, meaning that it is not specifically designed for a military environment and can therefore be jammed – as shown by Russian actions in Ukraine.
Eycore, on the other hand, is focused on providing as its first venture a true European-sovereign satellite-based SAR imaging capability that is specific to the military market.
“Strategically developing a sovereign European space-based asset is at the forefront of what we are focusing on at the moment,” said Klemm. “We want to be jamming resistant. We want to be providing the resolutions that are relevant for the defence customer.”
As one of the first steps along this path, Eycore is providing satellite-based SAR technology as part of a consortium that in April 2025 secured a contract from the European Space Agency on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology to develop the country’s CAMILA (Country Awareness Mission in Land Analysis) Earth observation satellite constellation. The initial three-satellite CAMILA constellation is expected to launch in late 2027.
Beyond this development Eycore plans to have its first satellite in space in early 2026. A launch slot for the satellite has been booked on SpaceX’s Transporter 16 rideshare mission, which is scheduled to be launched from Vandenberg Space Force base, California, in February 2026 using a Falcon 9 Block 5 medium-lift launch vehicle.
While Eycore has its main headquarters in Warsaw, Klemm noted that the company also has a UK office in Bristol and is planning to expand further in Europe in the next couple of years.
Klemm previously cofounded Eycore sister company APS, which specialises in anti-drone and ground-based radar technologies.
While Eycore is initially focused on developing a military-grade satellite-based SAR imaging capability, Klemm noted that the company’s aspirations are “much, much wider”.
Beyond Eycore’s initial X-band SAR capability, for example, the company will be looking to develop SAR capabilities in other frequency bands.
