Ukraine joins efforts with Japan not to depend on US satellite imagery support

Japanese space research organization Q-shu University Institute of Space (iQPS) will begin providing radar imagery from its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). The agreement was signed last week, following negotiations between Japanese and Ukrainian officials that began in late February, Militarist Telegram channel reports. The talks on the subject intensified on March 6, when the United States temporarily halted intelligence-sharing with Ukraine. Although Washington later resumed its support, the discussions with Japan continued. iQPS currently has five Earth observation radar satellites in orbit and plans to launch a seventh by the end of 2026. However, both sides have given themselves two to three months to install the necessary programming and receiving tools at GUR to enable data integration from iQPS satellites.