When SpaceX "Transporter-1” flight was launched January 24th, 143 small satellites shared the ride. Being one of the most critical milestones in a satellite mission, an experienced ground partner significantly increases the chance of success. iQPS chose to partner with KSAT, a well experienced provider with a solid track record in these mission critical operations.
Shunsuke Onishi, CEO of iQPS says - We are very grateful for the LEOP (Launch & Early Orbit Phase) support by KSAT, which allows us to realize the quick satellite calibration and the early acquisition of "first light" images. Through the successful operation of KSAT Lite service for our second satellite “IZANAMI”, I expect our partnership will expand to the utilization of KSAT ground station network for our projected 36 small SAR satellites constellation.
iQPS represents yet another interesting company of the Japanese space industry, says Kenneth Olafsson. -We are happy to see the SAR market expanding globally as this is a capability that the market demands.
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KSAT Chief Commercial Officer Marte Indregard is also welcoming another SAR satellite in orbit. - We are very pleased to welcome another SAR satellite into orbit and congratulate iQPS with a successful mission. SAR is a unique and powerful tool, providing information from space independent of weather conditions, day or night. For our operational monitoring services, we need access to a large portfolio of SAR satellites in order to fulfil our customers´ requirements for temporal coverage. KSAT looks forward to exploring SAR data from the iQPS satellites in the future.