X1 was 70 kilograms. ... Right now, X2 is planned to weigh 80 kilograms. It has a substantial amount of improvement. We go from 10-meter resolution in X1 to less than three-meter resolution in X2... We managed to upgrade the antenna so it’s twice as large as the previous one but it weighs less. However, there are other subsystems we are adding, such as propulsion for orbital maintenance, that carry additional mass. We are working with Enpulsion out of Austria, using their ion propulsion on X2 and X3.
ICEYE Raises $34M in Series B Financing and Confirms Nine Satellite Launches by End of 2019Latest round builds on year of explosive growth for Earth observation company, fast-tracks launches for SAR satellite constellation.Helsinki, FINLAND – May 24, 2018 – ICEYE, an Earth observation company providing synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data, today announced $34M Series B funding led by return investor True Ventures and supported by Draper Network VC funds and others. Building on ICEYE’s recent aerospace industry achievements, the Finland-based SAR data company will use the new capital to expand its custom analytics services for its growing customer base, further develop its SAR satellite technology, as well as fund additional launches of ICEYE SAR satellites.ICEYE’s Series B funding round includes financial backing from previous investors True Ventures, Draper Nexus, Draper Associates, Seraphim Capital and Space Angels. The funding round is joined by new ICEYE investors OTB, Tesi, Draper Esprit and Promus Ventures. To date, ICEYE has raised a total of $53M, including government financing from Finland and the EU’s Horizon 2020 program.“This funding secures our goal of deploying the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation before the end of next year,” said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder, ICEYE. “I’m most excited for our customers, who can now start to make their plans a reality.”In January, ICEYE successfully completed a historic landmark in aerospace by becoming the first organization in the world to launch a SAR satellite with a launch mass of under 100kg. With darkness or clouds covering two-thirds of the planet at any given time, SAR technology delivers reliable imaging even when optical imaging cannot. Providing timely imaging data to both governments and commercial entities, ICEYE is helping its customers solve some of the world’s toughest challenges in sectors such as the maritime industry, disaster management, insurance, finance, security and intelligence.“ICEYE is developing and deploying SAR satellite technology that has been dreamed about for decades, but which was thought to be impossible to deliver,” said Rohit Sharma, venture partner at True Ventures and ICEYE board member. “We are excited to accelerate our three-year-old partnership with ICEYE and lead their current round of financing as they continue to change the way Earth observation data is gathered, analyzed, and delivered.”Following the January 2018 launch of ICEYE-X1, ICEYE is launching two additional satellites this year. ICEYE is aiming for a total of 9 upcoming satellite launches by the end of 2019 and is actively seeking out launch operators to continue the company’s rapid acceleration towards the future.
[Space News] ICEYE raises another $34 million for radar satellitesThe company’s first mission, ICEYE-X1, is no longer conducting commercial operations. Still, X1 was a successful mission, Modrzewski said, because even though the satellite was “by no means perfect,” it captured SAR imagery and provided important lessons for engineers building additional SAR satellites. ICEYE follows an iterative model, called agile hardware development, to continually improve the performance of its satellites. From X1, ICEYE identified more than 150 issues, both large and small. The company has corrected more than 50 of those issues for future satellites, beginning with X2, Modrzewski said.
Small Satellite Launches 2019-2020ICEYE is launching a constellation of 18 satellites by the end of 2020. We are requesting information to evaluate launch opportunities starting in 2019.Mass: 85 kgVolume Envelope: 700 x 800 x 820 mmAltitude: 400-600 kmInclination: SSO, 40-60°
ICEYE RFI QuoteSmall Satellite Launches 2019-2020ICEYE is launching a constellation of 18 satellites by the end of 2020. We are requesting information to evaluate launch opportunities starting in 2019.Mass: 85 kgVolume Envelope: 700 x 800 x 820 mmAltitude: 400-600 kmInclination: SSO, 40-60°
ICEYE engineers are integrating and testing the firm’s third and fourth satellites.ICEYE plans to launch between five and eight satellites in 2019 to create an operational constellation of at least six satellites...To date, ICEYE has raised more than $65 million...ICEYE planned to launch ICEYE X-3 in 2018 but “unfortunately due to launch delays, this mission is currently scheduled for the first half of 2019,”
Business Finland gives ICEYE 10 million EurosQuoteICEYE engineers are integrating and testing the firm’s third and fourth satellites.ICEYE plans to launch between five and eight satellites in 2019 to create an operational constellation of at least six satellites...To date, ICEYE has raised more than $65 million...ICEYE planned to launch ICEYE X-3 in 2018 but “unfortunately due to launch delays, this mission is currently scheduled for the first half of 2019,”
Plus these guys are burning cash pretty fast as a company with just two sats in orbit.The Cantrell Effect.
Quote from: ringsider on 12/15/2018 04:15 pmPlus these guys are burning cash pretty fast as a company with just two sats in orbit.The Cantrell Effect.These guys are actually on orbit for the second time, and got a chance to make improvements from their first tech demo sat when they made the second one. They now have a viable product if it holds up better than the first sat. I don't see how this is comparable to a company in a different industry that hasn't even done a demo of a full product yet.
Quote from: gongora on 12/15/2018 04:55 pmQuote from: ringsider on 12/15/2018 04:15 pmPlus these guys are burning cash pretty fast as a company with just two sats in orbit.The Cantrell Effect.These guys are actually on orbit for the second time, and got a chance to make improvements from their first tech demo sat when they made the second one. They now have a viable product if it holds up better than the first sat. I don't see how this is comparable to a company in a different industry that hasn't even done a demo of a full product yet.Jimmy Cantrell is a board advisor to Iceye:-https://www.crunchbase.com/search/jobs/field/people/num_current_advisor_jobs/jim-cantrell
Quote from: ringsider on 12/15/2018 05:54 pmQuote from: gongora on 12/15/2018 04:55 pmQuote from: ringsider on 12/15/2018 04:15 pmPlus these guys are burning cash pretty fast as a company with just two sats in orbit.The Cantrell Effect.These guys are actually on orbit for the second time, and got a chance to make improvements from their first tech demo sat when they made the second one. They now have a viable product if it holds up better than the first sat. I don't see how this is comparable to a company in a different industry that hasn't even done a demo of a full product yet.Jimmy Cantrell is a board advisor to Iceye:-https://www.crunchbase.com/search/jobs/field/people/num_current_advisor_jobs/jim-cantrellAnd the company supplying the platform bus is also and Cantrell business.
ECM Space Joins ICEYE’s Launch Provider PortfolioHelsinki, FINLAND – August 22, 2018New Space companies partner for launches as small sat industry blasts offICEYE, an Earth observation company creating the world’s largest Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation, today announced an agreement with ECM Space to launch two or more ICEYE SAR satellites into different target orbits over the next years.Leveraging ECM Space’s experience launching small satellites, the partnership will contribute to ICEYE creating the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation by the end of 2019, aimed to critically increase the frequency and availability of SAR satellite imagery for business and government customers.As part of the longer-term agreement, ECM Space will provide launch arrangements to ICEYE as the company forges ahead on the development of its initial 18 SAR satellite configuration. The first two launches of the cooperation agreement will be performed starting this year through 2019.Dmitry Bogdanov, CEO of ECM Space, said: "We are happy to have a new European partner such as ICEYE with their ambitious launch program. We have already arranged two new launches for ICEYE, with preparations currently underway, and look forward to pushing the boundaries forward for New Space together." Tackling a global shortage of actionable land and sea data, ICEYE’s radar satellites provide SAR imagery taken every few hours of any point on Earth, regardless of the time of day or cloud cover. Using this rich data and the fastest revisit rates for reliable imaging, ICEYE helps solve problems in a wide range of sectors, such as maritime, disaster management, insurance, finance, oil and gas, security and intelligence.Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder of ICEYE, said: "ICEYE is quickly moving forward with the launch of our constellation of SAR satellites with a key focus on efficiency. By partnering with ECM Space on launch arrangements, we can keep focusing on the advanced development and operation of our SAR satellites. ICEYE aims to launch a total of 9 upcoming satellites by the end of 2019."
Cancelled payloadsThree SAMSON nano-satellites built in Israel and the 80-kilogram ICEYE remote-sensing satellite from Finland were originally booked for this flight as well, but their developers were not able to meet the launch deadline. On the Fregat payload adapter, the missing passengers have been replaced with mass simulators to preserve the calculated dynamics of the mission. The simulators will be released from the Fregat according to the original launch timeline.
