ICEYE unveils ‘Scan Wide’ mode

ICEYE has unveiled a new scan mode for its synthetic aperture radars called Scan Wide mode, which enables a user to capture a single image covering an area of up to 60,000 square kilometres (approximately 23,000 square miles), the August 12 press release states. 

This can be further extended to 120,000 square kilometres (around 46,000 square miles) through multi-frame tasking. This large-scale imaging capability is particularly valuable for wide-area intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). For reference, 60,000 square kilometres is an area larger than Croatia at 56,590 square kilometres, and 38 times the size of greater London. 

“This large scene size is particularly useful for maritime applications such as dark vessel search and oil spill monitoring,” the press release states. Scan Wide is available on all of the company’s satellites, which currently includes 54 satellites in low earth orbit, and is expected to grow to by a further six satellites this year, with another 20 to follow in 2026. 

The latest launches included ICEYE’s fourth generation satellite, which doubles the size of the radar antenna and its power, allowing the image swath width to be increased from 150 km to 400 km and the information density in each image to be increased by 30%. The Scan Wide mode provides a 27 metre resolution and 200 km x 300 km footprint. A satellite image with 27-metre resolution means that each pixel in the image represents a square area on the ground that is 27 meters by 27 meters. This makes it useful for detecting large objects and quickly scanning large areas. 

However, higher resolution would be needed to discern what is actually happening. This is where ICEYE’s 25 cm resolution with Dwell and Spot modes in a 5 km x 5 km footprint comes in, allowing users to see much higher resolution imagery of a given vehicle or structure. This has been used to support long-range targeting in Ukraine, which is indicative of how detailed the resultant picture can be. 

The resolution of the image depends on the radar frequency used. “With a maximum radar bandwidth of 1200 Mhz right now (this is currently the legal limit for all radar satellites commercially available), radar satellites can achieve 25 cm resolution. Earlier generations of ICEYE satellites can do 1 m and 50 cm, because the radar bandwidth was 300 and 600 MHz respectively,” an ICEYE representative told Calibre Defence in December 2024. This means that the greater the bandwidth, the more detail will be discernible from the generated image, this is important for SAR reconnaissance as the images can lack detail or clear sharp edges when compared to optical imaging.

Calibre comment

Much of the future of defence of Western countries is riding on their ability to achieve multi-sensor fusion where the outputs from several different sensor modalities into a single recognised picture. This is a complex process but will pave the way for a greater understanding of a given area or target at longer ranges. The hope is that achieving this will improve target engagement outcomes by allowing commanders to assign weapons more effectively and prioritise targets with greater detail. Scan Wide mode could prove particularly useful in tracking and monitoring submarine movements when used in combination with other assets. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on August 14, 2025. Credit for the lead image is ICEYE, it shows an ICEYE Scan Wide image of the Suez Canal.