In a recent press release, Umbra Space, a California-based Earth observation company, announced the availability of their custom satellite solutions, Mission Solutions. Tailored to the customer’s needs, the new company’s offering allows a wide range of ownership models, from the full handoff of hardware and spacecraft operations to a Satellite-as-a-Service paradigm through its Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation.
“We see a growing demand for complete satellite systems as well as other mission capabilities. We can also support models like government-owned, contractor-operated or do a full handoff of a system”.
— Jason Mallare, Umbra’s vice president of global solutions
🌎 ✨ OWN THE WORLD'S MOST CAPABLE SAR SATELLITE! 🚀 🚨
— Umbra (@umbraspace) July 31, 2024
Now available for purchase: a complete satellite system or dedicated capacity tailored to your needs.
Umbra satellites deliver the largest volume of high-resolution SAR imagery in concentrated areas of highest demand,… pic.twitter.com/Upn7cuV0eC
Synthetic Aperture Radar, imaging Earth in all conditions
Optical satellites capture the sunlight reflected by their targets to create the requested image, limited by clouds and nighttime. SAR satellites use radar sensors that can penetrate clouds and capture the same image during the day or the night.
A SAR image is in grayscale, and the intensity of the radar return indicates the properties of the surface of the targets. SAR imagery tends to have lower spatial resolution compared to optical imagery. However, Umbra’s technology provides 25 cm as standard resolution, and they became able to capture images with 16 cm resolution in 2023.
Remote sensing on a global scale through SAR
Founded in 2015, Umbra developed its Earth observation capabilities with vertical integration, from designing and manufacturing its patented SAR satellites to managing ground services and spacecraft operations. This approach allows the sale of SAR imagery at a comparable price to optical imagery for a wide range of applications, from defense and intelligence to environmental monitoring and urban planning.
The company launched the first satellite, Umbra-SAR 2001, in June 2021 as a rideshare payload on the SpaceX Transporter-2 mission. The patented antenna is designed to stow compactly for launch and expand after reaching the operational orbit, giving the possibility to use rideshare missions and lower launch costs.
Currently, its constellation is made of eight SAR satellites, all launched to orbit on Transporter missions, and they aim to build a fleet of thirty-two. The next pair of spacecraft will be launched into orbit on the Transporter-11 mission, scheduled for August 2024.
“I’m honored to say we have built both the world’s most capable and affordable commercial SAR satellite. In the past few years, we’ve seen the mission-critical value our technology brings to customers, and the demand signal is loud and clear”.
— David Langan, Umbra’s CEO and Co-founder
