The new Scandinavian members of NATO are keenly aware of the threat that Russia poses in the Arctic—and are trying to build better surveillance capabilities in that vital region.
ICEYE is a Finnish-based firm that builds and operates a large constellation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. SAR technology allows imaging of the Earth’s surface regardless of weather or illumination—critical for Arctic operations, where polar night, storms, and low-sun angles complicate optical imagery.
The firm has rapidly expanded, becoming a key player in sovereign intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) markets for governments and alliances. For instance, in March of this year, ICEYE announced it will provide data to NATO’s Situation Center in Brussels, reinforcing its role in allied ISR.
ICEYE and SSC: The Nordic ISR Power Duo
ICEYE’s advanced ISR capabilities are not the only ones in Scandinavia. They are supplemented by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), a provider of advanced space services, such as satellite ground station operations, mission control, launch-service facilitation, and spaceport operations (including through its Esrange Facility) in the Arctic and northern latitude region.
SSC operates a global network of ground stations and has access to launch infrastructure in Sweden, enhancing its ability to support missions, orbital operations, and downlink services.
What’s more, northern Sweden gives the SSC a natural advantage for polar-orbiting satellite support, making SSC relevant for Arctic-region ISR ambitions. The Arctic itself has become a key point of contention between the West and Russia, as these distant regions are rapidly becoming a focal point in the great global competition between the West and Russia (and, by extension, China).
Sweden’s desire to dominate the space sector in Europe is essential for Europe maintaining a competitive edge—and access—to the Arctic.
On November 20 of this year, ICEYE and SSC signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) at the NATO Arctic Space Forum in Helsinki. The LOI commits the two firms to explore closer cooperation.
They agreed to cooperate in areas like joint mission development—such as designing new satellite and ISR missions—as well as satellite operations wherein ICEYE’s SAR payloads are leveraged and paired more closely with SSC’s impressive ground network. Of course, SSC is also bringing in launch-capability access while ICEYE will be providing the payload and constellation side of the new partnership.
Why the Arctic Matters More Than Ever
NATO war planners are understandably more worried these days about the vulnerability that the Arctic poses to them. Russia is by far the dominant Arctic power—not only because its geography allows for that, but because Moscow has spent more than a decade ensuring that Russian power dominates there. Sweden wants to counter Russia’s push for dominance of the Arctic. And space plays a key role—especially as Russia has the capability to launch sneak attacks against Northern Europe from the Russians’ holdings in the Arctic.
While the LOI between ICEYE and SSC is a strong first step, it remains exploratory. Actual mission-deployments, tasking regimes, data-sharing arrangements, redundancy, and secure ground segment integration remain to be matured.
The Arctic is difficult terrain for satellites—with problems including rapid revisit time, high revisit for timely ISR, orbit coverage, and downlink latency, to name only a few. Operational performance will be critical.
Scandinavia Is Pulling Europe Toward a Space Renaissance
Data sovereignty, export control, alliance-sharing mechanism will need to be further aligned as the program matures, too.
Launch-and-deployment risks abound, too. Even with SSC’s capabilities, realizing frequent launches and ensuring capacity for dedicated Arctic coverage is significant. Still, this is but one part of a broader trend of space-defense in the Nordic/Arctic region.
This partnership alone won’t solve all the coverage gaps. It will, however, be a critical step toward realizing some semblance of security for Northern Europe from the Arctic. Furthermore, it will make Europe more competitive in the new space race.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Weichert hosts a companion book talk series on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Alexanderstock23.
