A suitcase-size satellite's big image of frozen earth below

New York

ABOUT two weeks ago, a satellite called Iceye-X1 hitched a ride into orbit aboard an Indian rocket. It's about the size of a suitcase and has already sent its first picture, constructed out of microwave radar reflections, back to Earth.

"I personally love this image," said Rafal Modrzewski, the chief executive of Iceye, a Finnish startup that built and operates the satellite, referring to a scene from the Noatak National Preserve in Alaska. "It's full of snow, but it's so much more complex than you think at first."