Scanway is building Poland’s largest telescope. It will take super-detailed images with a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel

The Wrocław-based company Scanway has begun the second phase of the SEMOViS project, financed by the European Space Agency (ESA). They are developing Poland’s largest optical telescope capable of:

• imaging the Earth with a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel,
• which will be installed on a satellite weighing approx. 100 kg,
• as part of a constellation built by Marble Imaging from Germany.

Wrocław-based Scanway is building Poland’s largest optical telescope

Scanway will thus join a select group of European companies offering very high-resolution instruments. The result of the first phase of the project was the successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) stage, marking the completion of preliminary R&D work, including design review, concept evaluation, and compliance with requirements. The start of phase II of the SEMOViS project triggers an advance payment of EUR 0.9 million and includes the preparation of a qualified model, testing, and the construction of a target model based on it, which will be ready for flight in 2026. The total amount of ESA funding for the project is EUR 3.94 million, of which EUR 3.2 million is allocated to Scanway, which has received EUR 0.6 million to date.
The SEMOViS project is in line with Scanway’s strategic development directions related to participation in constellation projects and the production of increasingly larger optical instruments, which opens up new markets for the Wrocław-based company.

“The successful completion of the PDR review and the launch of phase II of the SEMOViS project confirm that our optical instrument meets the specified requirements and that our infrastructure enables the creation of a key component for a demonstration satellite, which marks the beginning of the construction of a large satellite constellation by Marble Imaging from Germany.”
Jędrzej Kowalewski, President of the Management Board of Scanway S.A.

Jędrzej Kowalewski, President of the Management Board of Scanway S.A. adds that the company’s task is to develop a telescope capable of imaging the Earth with a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel, which means that the optical instrument will be about twice as large as the telescope they supplied in the EagleEye project and about four times heavier than that solution. “In this way, Scanway will join a select group of European companies offering very high-resolution optical instruments,” emphasizes the president.

Financing of the SEMOViS project

The SEMOViS project is financed from optional funds as part of Poland’s increased contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) for the years 2023–2025.

“The implementation of the project in close cooperation with ESA underscores Scanway’s readiness to handle further contracts, including those from the upcoming new pool of funds as part of Poland’s contribution to ESA for 2026–2028, which will be recommended by Polish decision-makers at the November meeting of the ESA Ministerial Council (CM25),”
adds Jędrzej Kowalewski.

The demonstration satellite will be equipped with a telescope with a mirror diameter of 450 mm, which will enable a ground sampling distance (GSD) of less than 1 meter per pixel in the visible band (VIS) from low Earth orbit (approx. 500 km). It is also possible to retrofit the instrument with an infrared band (SWIR) with a resolution of less than 10 meters per pixel. Data processing will be performed using algorithms developed by Marble Imaging and Scanway.

“The data and analyses obtained in this way will be a valuable source of information for many potential customers in Europe and around the world. Our R&D work on the largest optical instrument in the Company’s history is crucial both for the construction of a future satellite constellation in cooperation with Marble Imaging and for Scanway’s leading position among European companies capable of supplying very high-resolution instruments. As with Nara Space in South Korea, we hope to extend the agreement in the future to include additional units based on the solutions we are currently developing for the demonstration satellite.”
Mikołaj Podgórski, COO of Scanway S.A.

Mikołaj Podgórski emphasizes that having a product in the portfolio with proven flight heritage and capable of imaging at a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel opens up the segment of larger satellites weighing +100 kg for the company, increasing the pool of potential customers. “We want to prepare the flight model of the telescope for delivery to our partner at the turn of 2026 and 2027” emphasizes Mikołaj Podgórski.

Resolutions below 1 meter per pixel. What does this mean in practice?

In practice, achieving a resolution of, for example, 0.5 meters per pixel (50 centimeters per pixel) means a radical increase in detail. To realize this, a simple comparison is enough:

• A pixel with a resolution of 10 meters: We will see the outline of a large building or a field. We will not even be able to distinguish a single house.
• A pixel with a resolution of 1 meter: We will clearly see a single house, a large truck, and maybe even a large tree.
  Pixel below 1 meter (e.g., 0.5 meters): We can distinguish a passenger car as a distinct object occupying several pixels.
• We can see individual people (as dots), infrastructure details such as streetlights, electrical boxes, or specific building exits.

Applications: from intelligence to agriculture

This resolution is not just a technological curiosity. It is a tool that is changing the rules of the game in several key sectors:

• For intelligence agencies and the military, the ability to monitor objects with sub-meter resolution is critical. It allows for the accurate identification of military equipment such as tanks, artillery, and aircraft on the runway.
• Commercial satellite data providers use this quality to precisely map urban infrastructure, roads, and power grids, and to assess damage after disasters (floods, earthquakes) with accuracy down to individual buildings.
• Images below one meter per pixel are becoming crucial in agriculture, enabling the detection of disease or pest outbreaks in fields with the accuracy of a small section of crops.

What does Wrocław-based Scanway do?

Scanway S.A. is a Wrocław-based company that has been operating for nine years. In the Space segment, it provides both hardware solutions (optical instruments, e.g., telescopes, cameras) and imaging analytics. In the Industry segment, it offers solutions (products) based on image data processing, including complete quality control systems. As one of several entities in the world, Scanway has developed complete optoelectronic products for Earth observation from orbit. The company executes key contracts for space equipment in Poland and worldwide, including for commercial customers.

It also operates STAR VIBE, the longest-operating Polish optical observation satellite. The company’s solutions have been included in the most important European and Polish space missions of 2024. Among other things, the company placed its equipment (Scanway Camera System) on the inaugural flight of the latest European Ariane 6 launch vehicle and delivered the largest telescope in Polish history, weighing approx. 10 kg (SOP200), to EagleEye – the largest satellite Poland has ever sent into space. The company has over 40 implementations in the field of quality control in the industrial sector. As a technology partner for the largest manufacturers in this sector, it creates proprietary software solutions using AI and advanced applications for Industry 4.0.

• In October 2023, the company made its debut on the NewConnect market.
• Scanway is now preparing to move to the Main Market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
• The creators of Scanway are winners of the “30 Creative People of Wrocław 2017” award.