Finland backs space tech ICEYE firm with R&D funding

By Anne Kauranen

HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finland's business promotion agency has granted research and development funding to satellite and defence technology company ICEYE, the two entities said on Thursday, in what marks another step in European efforts to support the booming sector.

Privately owned ICEYE has grown rapidly in recent years and says its fleet of 48 Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites providing near real-time imaging is now the largest, counting Ukraine, NATO and Japan among its customers.

Government agency, Business Finland, said it has assigned 41.1 million euros ($47.2 million) to the Finland-based company's 250-million-euro ($287 million) investment programme to strengthen its position as a global pioneer in space and defence technology.

"It will strengthen the entire space and defence sector and have a wide-ranging positive impact across the whole ecosystem," head of Business Finland Lassi Noponen said in a statement.

With the Ukraine war raging next to its borders and global security threats on the rise, the European Union has embarked on a 800 billion euro programme to shore up its defence, with tech startups expected to play a significant role.

ICEYE's satellite constellation works by bouncing a radar beam off the surface of the Earth from approximately 550 km (342 miles) in space to build a detailed picture of the ground, regardless of weather conditions or daylight, the company said.

"We have clearly ended up being in the right place at the right time with this technology. There is a great need to develop such sovereign capability," ICEYE chief of strategy Pekka Laurila said.

In addition to data, ICEYE also sells radar imaging satellites, as many countries are increasingly keen on having their own capacity to be able to monitor around the clock what happens on the globe.

ICEYE's CEO Rafal Modrzewski said the increased interest in space was driven both by technological advances and the Ukraine war that highlighted the importance of satellite technologies.

"This technology will be critical for national security," he told Reuters in a recent interview.

The 250 million-euro investment programme will allow it to expand its satellite manufacturing capabilities, develop new sensors and upgrade its satellite platforms, the company said.

($1 = 0.8712 euros)

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen in HelsinkiEditing by Tomasz Janowski)