DSEI 2023: BAE Systems Says First Azalea Satellite Cluster to be Launched in Early 2025 

BAE Systems announced at DSEI 2023 on September 14 that it will launch its first multi-satellite Azalea cluster into low Earth orbit in early 2025. The group of satellites will use an array of sensors to collect visual, radar and radio frequency (RF) data to provide high-quality information and real-time intelligence from space to military customers.

The facility follows BAE’s acquisition of British firm In-Space Missions last year and is being delivered in partnership with Finland’s ICEYE, which will provide the Azalea cluster’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capability.

Each Azalea cluster will include four satellites combining an ICEYE SAR satellite with three others that provide RF data collection, optical imaging and cluster computing to combine and analyze the data in space before delivering an assured intelligence product directly back to the user back on Earth .

Speaking at DSEI 2023, Andy Challen, UK Head of Mission Sales for ICEYE, explained that data from the Azalea cluster “will be brought together in space and then presented as a more complete picture”.

Processing in space the data collected by the Azalea satellites will provide much more timely intelligence, as existing space sensors require multiple terabytes of raw data to be transferred to Earth before that data can be processed and disseminated.

Each of the satellites will be software-defined radio (SDR) enabled, allowing them to be completely reconfigured and updated while in orbit. Doug Little, CEO of In-Space Missions, told DSEI 2023 in the Azalea constellation: “We say we have a software-defined satellite capability.”

Also speaking at the Azalea briefing at DSEI 2023, Elizabeth Seward, head of space strategy and future business for BAE Systems’ digital intelligence sector, noted that the initial cluster will be launched by US satellite launch provider Spacex. Seward said that after the launch of the initial cluster of four Azalea satellites, which will provide initial operational capability, subsequent additions to the constellation will be rolled out according to customer requirements. She added that a constellation of 12 satellites could provide comprehensive coverage, but as the constellation grows, BAE will look to place satellites in multiple orbital planes.

ICEYE already has 27 SAR satellites in orbit, which has significantly de-risked the Azalea system’s SAR capabilities and already provided the team with SAR data to work with, but the ICEYE SAR satellite launched as part of the original Azalea cluster will be its first SDR -enabled satellite.

The Azalea program supports the UK Government’s Space Strategy, published in February this year, which identified Earth observation as a priority area to protect and defend UK interests. BAE has stated that this is a sovereign capability that the Azalea program can provide.

In addition to providing military intelligence, such as the location of hostile platforms and weapons systems, the Azalea constellation will also be able to assist during natural disasters, such as by locating people at risk.

Peter Felsted