Satellite developer Satrec Initiative on the 14th released images from Etihad-SAT, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite jointly developed with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Etihad-SAT is the first ultra-high-precision SAR satellite built with Korean private-sector technology and was launched in Mar.
Etihad-SAT is a SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite that images Earth by transmitting X-band electromagnetic waves. Such satellites can observe the surface even when it is cloudy or at night, allowing imaging regardless of weather or time. In other words, it can clearly capture Earth’s features even in rain or in the dark of night.
The satellite has a resolution that can distinguish objects about 25 centimeters in size and a swath width that can capture more than 100 kilometers at once. To achieve this, it applies a technology called a slot array waveguide antenna. It can precisely steer the direction of the radio wave (radar beam) without moving parts, enabling long-term stable imaging. It is mainly used in high-performance satellites.
Satrec Initiative expects that combining the technologies applied to this satellite with optical satellite (light-based imaging satellite) technology will enable precise observation of the entire globe and be utilized across various industries, including defense, disaster response, and environmental monitoring.
Ee-Eul Kim, CEO of Satrec Initiative, said, “In addition to the technologies accumulated through optical satellite development, we have secured a private-sector technological base in the field of ultra-high-precision radar satellites,” and added, “We will continue to contribute to the growth of the space industry at home and abroad with proprietary technology and flexible business models.”