British company BAE Systems announced a strategic partnership with South Korean industrial giant Hanwha Systems to integrate synthetic aperture radar technologies (SAR) in the Azalea reconnaissance satellite group. The goal of the collaboration is to combine Hanwha's SAR with BAE's ultra-wideband radio frequency sensors, to create a powerful multi-sensor network for defense and disaster response needs.
The partnership complements BAE's earlier agreement with Finnish company Iceye, which also provides a SAR satellite for the first Azalea cluster. The four-satellite cluster is slated to launch into low Earth orbit later this year on a SpaceX rocket.
Behind the words of Rachel Goyle, BAE's director of space technology, three satellites from the cluster will have radio frequency sensors only, without optical cameras, although future Azalea missions are planned to add visual capabilities.
Hanwha, which previously invested in the British company OneWeb, recently sold its stake in connection with its merger with France's Eutelsat. The new partnership indicates a change in the company's focus — from the civilian to the defense space segment.