Author: Scanway
Publication date:
The strategy adopted today by Scanway S.A. for 2026–2028 calls for the company to become one of the largest prime contractors for optical payloads in Europe. At the same time, the new strategy paves the way for the Company’s long-term goal of joining the ranks of the world’s leading commercial integrators.
- Scanway intends to significantly scale up its operational and technological activities, reaching a production capacity of more than a dozen optical payloads per year in the price range of 0.5–2.0 million euros
- The company aims to strengthen its position as an integrated European supplier of optical technologies for the space and industrial sectors, a goal it will achieve by pursuing four technological development areas
- Over the next three years, Scanway will focus on developing very high-resolution imaging products and products for so-called “challenging” applications—including deep-space missions and lunar exploration
- The priority will be to strengthen technological and manufacturing independence, while simultaneously expanding the range of cameras for the Space & Defense segments, including unmanned systems
- The company is analyzing a wide range of financing options for its adopted strategy and will make binding decisions in this regard in the coming quarters.
– Following the formal launch of the procedure to move to the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and the filing of the registration document with the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), we are presenting the results of several months of analysis aimed at defining the strategic directions for the further development of Scanway S.A. – says Jędrzej Kowalewski, President of the Management Board of Scanway S.A. – Our strategy for 2026–2028 addresses global trends in the space and industrial sectors, as well as the growing demand for optical solutions and data processing systems. Its main goal is for Scanway to become one of the largest integrators of optical payloads in Europe and to scale up its operations to a level that enables the production of over a dozen optical payloads per year in the price range of 0.5–2.0 million euros. – Kowalewski emphasizes.
Objectives of the New Strategy
Scanway’s overarching goal, which it intends to achieve by the end of 2028, is to become one of the largest prime contractors for optical payloads in Europe. In the longer term, the Company aims to join the ranks of the world’s largest commercial optical payload integrators. To achieve this strategic goal, the Company has set four operational objectives that it intends to accomplish between 2026 and 2028:
First, a significant scaling up of operational and technological activities in the Space & Defense and Industry sectors.
Second, the presence of the Company’s products and technologies in constellations developed by global leaders.
Third, the annual production of a dozen or so optical payloads in the price range of 0.5–2.0 million euros per unit, which will be made possible by the Company’s participation in constellation projects.
Fourth, expanding the portfolio to include products covering the entire optical data processing chain—from acquisition through processing, analytics, and prediction.
Directions for the Technological Development of Scanway S.A.
The new strategic document for 2026–2028 introduces a key element—technological development priorities that will enable the Company to carry out its most demanding contracts.
– We are developing mission-critical technologies and pushing the boundaries of remote sensing, expanding the observational capabilities of the global New Space industry. Over the next three years, we will focus on very high-resolution instruments, an increasing number of which will utilize adaptive optics systems, enabling automated corrections to image quality while in orbit. This will ensure consistent image quality throughout the entire lifespan of an observation mission. Our clients will also include projects designed for challenging applications, such as lunar exploration and deep-space missions. At the same time, we are developing our own data processing solutions and strengthening our supply chain and manufacturing independence. “— says Michał Zięba, CTO of Scanway S.A. — We have set specific, measurable business goals, and the path to achieving them will involve development in four key technological areas,” he adds.
The first area of focus will be the development of very high-resolution optical instruments. Scanway will focus on developing next-generation instruments for microsatellites with a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel (GSD) and increasingly shorter delivery times to customers. Key to this approach is the use of systems that correct image distortions during the mission (so-called adaptive optics). As a result, the quality of the acquired data will significantly improve, and the Company will overcome a technological barrier that is insurmountable for young companies.
The parallel development of larger telescopes (including the SOP200 and SOP450) and ongoing test missions at TRL 6–7 will enable the Company to close the gap with global leaders while maintaining a modular and cost-effective architecture tailored to the small satellite market (10–500 kg) and tactical Earth observation (tactical EO).
The second area of focus is the development of data processing products. The company will develop its own line of software covering the correction, calibration, and mosaicking of EO images, as well as AI/ML systems for the detection, assessment, and classification of objects and events (based on its proprietary HYDRA technology). Research and development projects conducted with ESA and universities will enable the implementation of innovative algorithms even before their commercialization.
The Company’s goal in this area will be to develop a full end-to-end optical data stack (a complete set of technologies and processes for working with images) covering the entire cycle from image acquisition to final analysis.
The third area is cameras designed for the defense market and applications in the field of in-space servicing. Scanway will expand its portfolio for the defense and orbital services sectors. This will include cameras for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are offered and used by NATO and allied nations, ground monitoring systems, and instruments for satellite inspection and support of servicing missions. These modular and scalable products are expected to increase Europe’s independence from Asian equipment and enable the Company to enter the dual-use segment, which combines space expertise with security and defense needs.
The fourth strategy involves strengthening the company’s own supply chain. The company will invest in the development of its own AIT processes (assembly, integration, and testing of deployed systems) and last-stage manufacturing infrastructure (in-house production of components in the final stages) for optical and mechanical components. This will increase its operational independence and quality control, shorten delivery times, and improve margins—which is crucial for fulfilling contracts with ESA and NATO, as well as in light of the risks associated with global supply chain disruptions.
Business Growth Areas
– In our strategy for 2026–2028, we have set ambitious goals, introduced new technological directions for development, and at the same time, we are consciously continuing our existing business areas. These areas have delivered the expected results, remain highly relevant, and—more importantly—directly address global trends in the worldwide space and industrial sectors. – notes Mikołaj Podgórski, COO of Scanway S.A.
As before, the Company’s strategic areas of development include constellation projects and the construction of increasingly larger optical instruments (which increase the value of individual projects and expand the pool of potential customers). An important area of Scanway’s strategy is the defense sector, within which the Company intends to collaborate with key partners on dual-use solutions.
– From the perspective of the space sector, optoelectronics is becoming a strategic branch of defense today. It is precisely imaging, image acquisition, and real-time data processing and analysis that determine who sees first—and thus who has the advantage. Poland has a lot of work to do in this area, but it also has a unique opportunity to become a regional leader through targeted investments, combining space, drone, and ground-based capabilities into a cohesive optoelectronic defense shield. – notes Jędrzej Kowalewski.
Scanway will expand its Deep Space operations, including lunar exploration (the company intends to collaborate with global industry leaders such as Intuitive Machines), while also participating in major public programs —both national and European. Another area of growth for Scanway is the industrial sector, specifically image analysis.
– We address the growing need for automation in manufacturing processes. To this end, we utilize advanced machine vision, integrating various imaging technologies and developing our own algorithms that enable product quality assessment directly on the production lines – says Radosław Charytoniuk, CSO of Scanway. “The solutions developed under the Industry and Space initiatives complement each other, paving the way for the application of industrial technologies in space and space technologies in industry,” he concludes.
In the coming quarters, the Company will focus on systematically scaling its operations, increasing production capacity, and enhancing its technological and operational capabilities. At the same time, the objectives of the new strategy will be implemented based on stable financial foundations and responsible liquidity management. The Management Board is currently analyzing various financing options for its development plans, taking into account both equity and debt instruments, as well as funds from grant programs. In the coming quarters, the Company will refine its target, optimal structure for raising development capital.
Scanway S.A. is currently one of more than a dozen key European suppliers of optical systems for the space sector. The company has flight heritage, and its technology has been used in seven optical payloads launched to date. Today, it collaborates with clients from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It diversifies its revenue streams by combining commercial contracts, funding from the ESA, and funds from major public programs. Approximately 80% of the company’s team consists of engineers with experience in the design, integration, and testing of optical and satellite systems.
SEE: Scanway S.A.’s Development Strategy for 2026–2028
About Scanway:
Scanway S.A. is a Polish company that has been in business for 9 years. It specializes in the optical data chain, which includes data acquisition, processing, analytics, and event prediction based on that data. In the Space segment, the company provides both hardware solutions (optical instruments, such as telescopes and cameras) and imaging analytics. In the Industry segment, it offers solutions (products) based on image data processing, including complete quality control systems. The Company’s expertise and experience in both fields are complementary and create synergies. Scanway strives to provide its customers with full access to key optical data in both segments.
As one of only a dozen or so companies worldwide, Scanway has developed a complete range of optoelectronic products for Earth observation from orbit. The company carries out key contracts for space equipment in Poland and around the world, including for commercial clients. It also operates STAR VIBE, Poland’s longest-operating optical observation satellite. The company’s solutions have been incorporated into the most important European and Polish space missions of 2024. Among other achievements, the company installed its equipment (the Scanway Camera System) on the maiden flight of Europe’s newest launch vehicle, Ariane 6, and delivered Poland’s largest-ever telescope, weighing approximately 10 kg (SOP200) to EagleEye—the largest satellite Poland has ever sent into space.
The company has completed over 40 quality control implementations in the industrial sector. As a technology partner to the sector’s largest manufacturers, it develops proprietary software solutions using AI and advanced applications for Industry 4.0.
In October 2023, the Company made its debut on the NewConnect market. It has fully achieved the goals announced in its initial public offering and is currently preparing to move to the Main Market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. For more information: https://scanway.pl/
Media Contact
Scanway S.A. Corporate Communications Office
Katarzyna Żądło
+48 661 140 260
k.zadlo@scanway.pl
Contact for investors and analysts
Mardoniusz Maćkowiak
+48 605 959 539
mardoniusz.mackowiak@ccgroup.pl