Capella Space#Satellites

In 2019, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) awarded Capella a contract to study the integration of Capella's commercial radar imagery with the NRO's government-owned surveillance satellites. The U.S. Air Force awarded Capella a contract in November 2019 to incorporate the company's imagery into the Air Force's virtual reality software. Capella also has a contract with the Navy, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), earlier in 2020 to allow researchers from the U.S. government's intelligence community to assist Capella. An inter-satellite link with Inmarsat's network of geostationary communications satellites enables real-time tasking of Capella's satellites. Customers can use a self-service electronic portal and API to task a Capella satellite for a radar image.{{cite web |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/31/rocket-lab-returns-to-service-with-successful-launch-for-capella/|title=Rocket Lab returns to service with successful launch for Capella|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=31 August 2020|access-date=1 September 2020}} In 2021, Capella received a $3 million research contract in support of the Space Development Agency's National Defense Space Architecture. Capella was chosen through a broad agency announcement.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-17|title=Capella Space wins research contract from U.S. Space Development Agency|url=https://spacenews.com/capella-space-wins-research-contract-from-u-s-space-development-agency/|access-date=2021-10-07|website=SpaceNews|language=en-US}} In 2023, Capella was awarded a [https://www.capellaspace.com/press-releases/capella-federal-awarded-contract-for-proliferated-low-earth-orbit-satellite-based-services-by-u-s-space-systems-command/ Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services] (PLEO) contract through the U.S. Space Systems Command (SSC) to support SSC and the U.S. Space Force with access to SAR imagery for key missions. Capella was also awarded two Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) contracts with NASA to determine the suitability of Capella's data to advance NASA's Earth science missions: a [https://www.capellaspace.com/press-releases/capella-space-awarded-multi-year-blanket-purchase-agreement-by-nasa-5/ multi-year blanket purchase agreement] and a [https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-commercial-smallsat-data-acquisition-contractors/ n indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract]. This enables NASA research evaluators from across the country with easy access to Capella's high-resolution data archive and automated tasking capabilities as they find novel new ways to monitor the Earth and the environment.

Capella was also awarded $15 million by the U.S. Air Force to develop a next-generation SAR sensor and received an award from the Space Development Agency to participate in the [https://www.sda.mil/sda-selects-initial-halo-pool-to-rapidly-compete-future-prototype-demonstrations/ HALO contracting vehicle].

In partnership with [https://pacgeo.com/satellite/capella-space/ Pacific Geomatics], Capella imagery is available to government offices across Canada through Canada's [https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/standing-offers-and-supply-arrangements/CW2292348-ACM-168099211 National Master Standing Offers]. Canadian officials have easy access to Capella's high-quality imagery and automated tasking capabilities for a variety of use cases including monitoring natural resources, mining operations, ice flows, maritime activity and more.

The Sequoia Earth-imaging satellite was originally supposed to launch as a secondary payload on the Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in late 2019, but the mission was postponed, prompting Capella to move the satellite to a Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX, according to Payam Banazadeh. It was booked to fly as a rideshare passenger on the Falcon 9 launch with Argentina's SAOCOM 1B radar observation satellite in late March 2020. But that launch was also delayed at the request of Argentine's space agency (CONAE) as travel and work restrictions were implemented at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That left Capella looking for another ride for Sequoia.{{cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/30/electron-sequoia-mission-status-center/|title=Mission Status Center: Rocket launches Capella's first commercial radar satellite |publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=30 August 2020|access-date=31 August 2020}}

Capella had previously signed a contract with Rocket Lab for a dedicated launch for a future satellite, and Banazadeh said the company decided instead to put Sequoia on the Rocket Lab mission. Rocket Lab encountered delays after an Electron launch failed on 4 July 2020. Meanwhile, SAOCOM 1B launch preparations resumed and the Argentina satellite lifted off earlier on 30 August 2020 at 23:18:00 UTC, hours before the Rocket Lab mission with Sequoia, on 31 August 2020 at 03:05:47 UTC. The Electron launcher delivered Sequoia to a 525 km orbit, inclined 45.0°. Sequoia has a launch weight of 100 kg.

Six Whitney satellites were originally planned. The first two (Capella-3 and Capella-4) were launched on the Falcon 9 Transporter-1 rideshare mission to a Sun-synchronous orbit on 24 January 2021.

Capella-6 (Whitney-4) was launched as a rideshare on Starlink V1.0 L26 on 15 May 2021.{{cite web |url=https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/2681 |title=Starlink V1 L26 & Rideshares |access-date=13 May 2021}}

Capella-5 (Whitney-3) was launched as a rideshare on the mission Transporter-2 on 30 June 2021.{{cite web |last=Lentz |first=Danny |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/06/spacex-f9-transporter-2-rideshare/ |title=SpaceX successfully launches Transporter 2 mission with 88 satellites |work=NASASpaceFlight |date=29 June 2021 |access-date=30 June 2021}}

Capella-7 and Capella-8 were launched as a rideshare on the mission Transporter-3 on 13 January 2022.

Capella-9 (Whitney-7) and Capella-10 (Whitney-8), two additional satellites in this series, to be launched no earlier than 10 January 2023.{{cite web |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/ib/forms/reports/swr031b.hts?q_set=V_SITE_ANTENNA_FREQ.file_numberC/File+Number/%3D/SATMOD2022091900111&prepare=&column=V_SITE_ANTENNA_FREQ.file_numberC/File+Number |title=FCC LIcense Application SAT-MOD-20220919-00111 |work=FCC |date=19 September 2022 |access-date=20 September 2022}}

In August 2022 the company announced the development of a new generation of SAR satellites, called "Acadia". These new satellites represent an improvement from Capella's previous satellite generations with increased radar bandwidth from 500 MHz to 700 MHz, able to provide better resolution, higher imaging quality and shorter times between customer orders and delivery. They are compatible to be equipped with optical communication terminals (OCTs). Capella Space was the first commercial SAR company to demonstrate Optical Inter-Satellite Links.{{cite press release |url=https://www.capellaspace.com/capella-space-unveils-next-generation-satellite-with-enhanced-imagery-capabilities-and-communication-features/ |title=Capella Space Unveils Next Generation Satellite with Enhanced Imagery Capabilities and Communication Features |date=22 August 2022 |access-date=23 August 2023 |work=Capella Space}} In early 2023, Capella announced a multi-launch agreement with Rocket Lab for four dedicated launches, including a launch of Capella's first Acadia satellite.{{Cite web |title=Rocket Lab Signs Multi-Launch Deal to Deploy Satellite Constellation for Capella Space |url=https://www.capellaspace.com/press-releases/rocket-lab-signs-multi-launch-deal-to-deploy-satellite-constellation-for-capella-space/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=Capella Space}} The launch of the first satellite took place on 23 August 2023 at 23:45 UTC.{{cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=23 August 2023 |title=Rocket Lab reuses engine on Electron launch |url=https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-reuses-engine-on-electron-launch/ |access-date=23 August 2023 |work=SpaceNews.com}}

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

• Earth observation satellite
• COSMO-SkyMed
• ICEYE
• Planet Labs
• TerraSAR-X

{{reflist}}

• Capella Space [https://www.capellaspace.com/ website]

Category:Companies based in Palo Alto, California

Category:Aerospace companies of the United States

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