The Norweigan government, through Space Norway, has ordered its first 300 kg MicroSAR satellite from British company Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) to start work on a radar satellite system for maritime surveillance.
The order, announced by SSTL on 26 August, is for MicroSAR, a satellite system used to detect relatively small vessels in large areas. Space Norway plans to launch the first MicroSAR into a 600-km polar low Earth orbit in early 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 ride-share mission. In a statement SSTL said Space Norway plans to launch “a number of radar satellites to establish a constellation” in the following years after the initial launch.
While the satellite bus and the radar antenna will be built in the UK, the payloads will be developed and built by Norwegian suppliers.
The MicroSAR satellites will go in polar orbits in various orbital planes, at an altitude of about 600 km and weigh about 300 kg. Courtesy: Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL)
