Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and ICEYE have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to explore deeper cooperation in space and defence-related areas. The agreement was signed at the NATO Arctic Space Forum in Helsinki (capital of Finland).

According to SSC, the Letter of Intent aims to identify potential synergies between the companies in future missions, satellite operations, and launch capabilities. SSC emphasises that the collaboration is based on the complementary strengths of the parties and aims to strengthen Nordic and NATO-related space capabilities.

– The Letter of Intent between SSC and ICEYE aims to develop a collaboration based on our complementary strengths and aligns with and supports the growing defence cooperation between Sweden and Finland, also within the space domain, says Charlotta Sund, CEO of SSC.

In ICEYE's press release, it is stated that the Letter of Intent focuses on combining the company's Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with SSC's global network of ground stations, operational space services, and future access to orbit. The aim is to support the expansion of sovereign space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for the Nordics and NATO's northeastern flank.

– Through this Letter of Intent, we are evaluating how ICEYE's SAR capability can be combined with SSC's global ground station network and future access to orbit. The goal is to explore concepts that strengthen Nordic cooperation for security and resilience and enable reliable ISR for NATO and the Nordics, says Pekka Laurila, CSO and co-founder of ICEYE.

According to both press releases, the LOI follows discussions at the NATO Arctic Space Forum where Nordic and NATO-affiliated representatives emphasised the need for increased cooperation between allied countries and industry to strengthen space-based security.