Greece: What are SAR Satellites and What are Their Uses?

Greece is expected to launch two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites by the end of the year as part of the National Microsatellite Program. SAR radars, a relatively new technology, will monitor the ground day and night for various applications.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Greek offices of ICEYE, which is participating in the program. ICEYE has established a production unit in Greece, where 15% of the components of SAR satellites are manufactured.

SAR systems emit microwaves and measure their reflections from the ground, utilizing the satellite's motion to create a synthetic imaging aperture. The advantage of SAR is that it penetrates clouds and operates even at night.

In addition to the two national SAR satellites, Greece will have access to a constellation of 38 SAR satellites managed by ICEYE. The orbital SARs will be used for monitoring the marine and terrestrial environment, managing natural disasters, and for security and defense applications.

The National Microsatellite Program envisages the development of a total of 15 missions. It also includes four satellites from OroraTech to detect heat sources and seven microsatellites with high-resolution multispectral cameras from Open Cosmos.