Rheinmetall AG and ICEYE, a global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operations, have finalized the establishment of their joint venture, Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions GmbH, based in Neuss, Germany.
As the majority shareholder, Rheinmetall AG holds 60% of the joint venture shares, while ICEYE Oy holds the remaining 40%.
Just five months after the announcement, made last May, the joint venture is now officially constituted.
Starting this year, Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions will begin operations, with the first locally produced satellite set to be launched in 2026.
With the establishment of the new joint venture, Rheinmetall AG strengthens its activities in the space sector.
In recent years, there has been a strong increase in demand for space reconnaissance capabilities from the Armed Forces and the security sector worldwide.
As part of the cooperation between Rheinmetall and ICEYE, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites are already providing reconnaissance images for the defense of Ukraine amid its war with Russia since February 2022.
SAR satellites provide an advantage over electro-optical observation satellites as they can generate high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions or time of day.
Source and image credit @ICEYE
