Reflex Aerospace and Umbra Join to Deliver SAR Satellites in Europe

Insider Brief

• Reflex Aerospace and Umbra announced a collaboration to deliver turnkey synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite solutions for Europe, with the first launch targeted for 2027.
• The agreement will integrate Umbra’s customized SAR payloads with Reflex’s dedicated satellite buses, emphasizing a European-focused supply chain to support national sovereignty and strategic autonomy.
• The jointly developed satellites will feature high cybersecurity standards, substantial Delta-V reserves for maneuverability, proximity sensors, and optical terminals, aiming to become the backbone of future European ISR constellations.

PRESS RELEASE – Reflex Aerospace and Umbra announce an agreement to collaborate on providing turnkey cutting-edge synthetic aperture radar (SAR) solutions to Europe. As established in the plans, Umbra will customize and build its world-class, high performance SAR solutions for integration by Reflex into a dedicated satellite bus hosting the payload. The satellite solution will utilize a European-focused supply chain, which is ideal for customers prioritizing national sovereignty.

“Up until now, the options for European customers, when it came to SAR satellites, were extremely limited. With this partnership, we are creating a new, game-changing offering. We are confident that our satellites will soon be the backbone of several European ISR constellations,” says Walter Ballheimer, CEO of Reflex Aerospace.

As proposed, Umbra will work with Reflex’s team to design and customize a solution to meet the specific mission requirements for the customer base. The team will use Umbra’s proprietary technology to build and integrate the highest performance SAR solutions, while Reflex will build a dedicated satellite bus to host the payload.

“Umbra is committed to delivering tailored solutions that enable the U.S. and its allies to achieve their strategic objectives,” said David Langan, CEO of Umbra. “We recognize that some customers require sovereignty over their remote sensing capabilities, and we believe it is in our national interest to help meet this need using our best-in-class technology.”

The bus will be optimized to bring the highest value for customers and will focus on achieving the highest duty cycle. Additionally, the bus will prioritize specific dual-use requirements such as high cybersecurity standards and substantial Delta-V reserve to allow for unprecedented maneuverability and orbit adjustments. Optional features will include a set of proximity sensors that detect flyby objects and an optical terminal for use with data relay services. Further, Umbra’s unique approach to low-cost, high-gain RF systems provides an unparalleled value proposition for yielding the highest quantity of data per system at the lowest cost.

The Companies plan to jointly integrate the solution in Germany to ensure an independent and stable European-focused supply chain. Based on a growing demand for high quantities of high-quality SAR data, the aim is to launch the first satellite in 2027.

This collaboration aligns with the German and European Union’s goals of achieving strategic autonomy in space technology and contributes to their technological independence and security capabilities.