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Synthesized aperture radar arrays are expanding in response to increasing public and private demand. In August, Finnish company Iceye launched four radar satellites. Japan’s Synspective launched its fifth
Synthesized aperture radar arrays are expanding in response to increasing public and private demand. In August, Finnish company Iceye launched four radar satellites. Japan’s Synspective launched its fifth SAR satellite. And America’s Capella Space added two satellites to its constellation.
National security and defense agencies remain the primary customers of SAR imagery and data.
“From a national security perspective, our systems are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without interruption,” Capella Space CEO Frank Bakes said at World Space Business Week on September 20.
Capella satellites launched in August were calibrated and quickly put into service. Backes said Capella aims to show defense customers that the satellites can be operational in “days, not weeks, months or even longer.”
Government agencies and companies are increasingly realizing the value of SAR, which provides data through clouds and smoke, day and night.
In September, NASA announced plans to incorporate data from Iceye USA into its commercial small satellite data collection program. Before signing a five-year contract with Iceye for an unspecified number of deliveries, scientists evaluated the extent to which Iceye SAR data could support NASA Earth Science research.
Utilities, utilities, and government agencies also turn to SAR for help detecting soil moisture.
“Water where it shouldn’t be is a major cause of infrastructure failure,” said Jasmin Inbar, Asterra’s vice president and president of Earth Observation. Asterra applies algorithms to L-band SAR data to create information products for insurers, infrastructure operators and disaster relief organizations.
To attract new customers, Asterra will need access to more frequent observations.
“There are only three L-band satellites operated by space agencies,” Inbar said. “We need more time to study them to better penetrate the defense market.”
Synspective is ramping up satellite production with funds raised in its latest Series C round, according to Synspective CEO Motoyuki Ara. The company plans to deploy a batch of 30 SAR satellites by the end of the 2020s.
Source: Port Altele
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