First LEO-SAR Satellites Debuted by UAE’s Bayanat & Yahsat

The launch of the UAE’s first Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites has been announced by partner UAE-based companies Bayanat AI PLC and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat). 

Bayanat, a leading provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, worked in collaboration with ICEYE, a pioneer in SAR satellite operations for earth observation and natural disaster solutions. 

The never-seen-before model was launched via integrator Exolaunch, and, having established communication, is a significant milestone for earth observation capabilities in the region. As per the Earth Observation Space Programme, the satellite's successful launch reaffirms the UAE leadership's vision to achieve its National Space Strategy 2030. 

The LEO-SAR satellite debuts a comprehensive SAR constellation that will deliver high-resolution monitoring solutions, and SAR technology, an active sensing system that illuminates the Earth’s surface and measures the reflected signal to generate high-resolution images. Unlike traditional optical imaging satellites, SAR can capture images day and night, regardless of weather conditions. 

What is more, ICEYE’s radar antenna covers much larger geographical areas than other developers, and provides higher-resolution images of smaller areas.