The ISR Cell, an end-to-end containerized unit that gives defense forces direct access to space-based tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), has been introduced by ICEYE.
"The ICEYE ISR Cells are already in production, with first customer deliveries scheduled for early 2026."
Pekka Laurila, ICEYE
Designed to plug-and-play with any ICEYE mission, sovereign or ICEYE-operated, the ISR Cell moves space-based intelligence from centralized nodes to the edge. Tested in military exercises, the ISR Cell was shown to strengthen ICEYE's offering to defense customers and advance its ambition to become a primary provider of critical ISR infrastructure to allied nations.
The ISR Cell directly addresses the primary bottleneck in the ISR cycle: the rapid, reliable exploitation of increasingly complex data. It provides every level of command direct access to satellite tasking, downlink, AI-assisted analysis, and secure intelligence dissemination — on-site and on tactical timelines. This capability, previously limited to strategic command levels, can now be rapidly deployed to high-risk environments and act as a critical backup in the event of an outage of a fixed, centralized ground segment.
Unlike traditional satellite intelligence, which is optimized for strategic or operational decisions over hours or days, the ISR Cell is engineered to bring satellite intelligence to tactical timescales, delivering critical intelligence in minutes. Aerial systems can be used effectively for real-time intel, but their utility is limited by range, line-of-sight, and vulnerability to electronic warfare. The ISR Cell overcomes these constraints by bringing space-based intelligence directly to the tactical edge.
"The ISR Cell ... puts strategic-grade space intelligence tools in the hands of the commander in minutes, not hours or days, fundamentally changing how modern operations are planned and executed," said Pekka Laurila, CSO and Co-founder of ICEYE. "The ICEYE ISR Cells are already in production, with first customer deliveries scheduled for early 2026. This foundational capability, combined with our latest Gen4 satellites, makes satellite intelligence more efficient and directly accessible to every decision node, enabling faster and more reliable ISR loops across the force at scale."
Beyond its utility in conflict zones, where it provides access to tactical space-based ISR, the ISR Cell provides critical resilience and operational flexibility for a wide range of tactical applications, including on-site tasking and independent downlinking. This creates a much-needed layer of resilience on the ground for the increasingly critical infrastructure in space.