Capella Space, a San Francisco-based startup specializing in data and satellite solutions for both government and commercial applications, has revealed its plans to launch two Acadia-generation satellites with SpaceX in 2024. Mission management and integration services will be provided by Exolaunch.
Unlike traditional optical imaging satellites, Capella's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are designed to provide rapid, on-demand Earth imaging, regardless of time of day or weather conditions. This approach enables key applications such as monitoring infrastructure and supply chains, assessing disaster damage, and gaining agricultural and forestry insights.
Capella's ground station operations involve partnerships with providers like AWS, ensuring rapid downlinking and utilizing a highly automated processing pipeline. Customers can request images for testing, and the company takes a picture of the specified location. Impressively, 95% of images reach customers within eight hours, with most delivered within three to four hours. Human intervention is minimal, ensuring a seamless process of quality assurance and delivery to customers, who receive notifications via email with a link to retrieve their new images.
Capella's imagery captures the Jiuquan Launch Center where China launched its new commercial CERES-1 rocket.
Addressing privacy concerns, one representative of Capella Space clarified that its satellite imagery, with a resolution of 50 centimeters, is not detailed enough to identify individuals.
Capella Space has established strategic partnerships with various US government agencies, including the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Organization (NRO), the US Air Force, the US Navy, and the US Space Force. While the primary focus is on serving the US government, the company collaborates with governments in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for applications beyond defense, such as disaster response and monitoring.
Regarding clientele, defense remains a primary industry focus, followed by collaborations with private sectors, including mining, agriculture, and insurance. The company also engages with non-profit organizations, offering open data programs and humanitarian efforts in response to disasters.
In addition to its collaboration with SpaceX for the upcoming satellite launches, Capella Space will continue working with Rocket Lab to deploy satellites into orbit. The company acknowledges the challenges inherent in space endeavors, despite the recent failure during a Rocket Lab launch. However, Capella emphasizes the importance of maintaining a large satellite constellation in space to mitigate risks and ensure the continuity of its advanced Earth observation solutions.
