View source for Company:Capella Space

{{Short description|American space company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Capella Space
| image = Capella_Space.png
| image_size = 
| type = [[Finance:Privately held company|Private]]
| industry = Earth Observation
| foundation = {{Start date and age|March 2016}}
| founders = {{ubl|Payam Banazadeh|Will Woods}}
| location = {{wipe|San Francisco, California}}, {{wipe|California}}, U.S.
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = Frank Backes (CEO)
| products = High-Resolution (sub-0.5m) [[Engineering:Synthetic-aperture radar|SAR]] satellite<br/>Imagery and geospatial solutions
| homepage = {{URL|capellaspace.com}}
}}

'''Capella Space''' is an American space company with satellite and declassified SAR data solutions for government and commercial use. It offers [[Astronomy:Space-based radar|space-based radar]] [[Astronomy:Earth observation satellite|Earth observation satellite]]s equipped with [[Engineering:Synthetic-aperture radar|synthetic-aperture radar]] that can collect imagery through clouds and at night.<ref name="qz">{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/1042673/the-us-is-funding-silicon-valleys-space-industry-to-spot-north-korean-missiles-before-they-fly/|title=DIUx, the Defense Department unit that funds Silicon Valley's space industry to help detect a North Korean attack — Quartz|website=qz.com|access-date=2017-11-03}}</ref> The company is based in {{wipe|San Francisco}} with offices in [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]], and Louisville, Colorado. It was founded by Payam Banazadeh, a former engineer at [[Organization:Jet Propulsion Laboratory|Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] of [[Organization:NASA|NASA]], and William Walter Woods.<ref name="qz2">{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/879270/theres-one-big-problem-with-satellite-imagery-and-a-space-startup-has-found-a-solution-for-it/|title=Capella Space plans to launch imaging satellites that can see through clouds using orbital radar — Quartz|website=qz.com|access-date=2017-11-03}}</ref> 

The company was founded in 2016, has more than 200 employees (January 2024), and raised venture capital from investors such as Canaan Partners, Data Collective, Pear VC and Spark Capital.<ref name="forbes">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/capella-space-corp/|website=forbes.com|title=Capella Space Corp|access-date=2017-11-03}}</ref>

Capella designs, manufactures and operates a fleet of synthetic aperture radar satellites to provide high-resolution, all-weather imagery to the U.S. government and commercial customers. Capella is launching its third-generation Acadia satellites. Sequoia, the first-generation satellite, launched in August 2020. Six second-generation Whitney satellites were launched between January 2021 and January 2022 on SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions into a [[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|polar Sun-synchronous]] orbit.<ref name=GSPC>{{cite web |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/capella-2.htm |title=Capella 2, ..., 7 (Sequoia, Whitney) |access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref> In 2023, Capella began launching it's third-generation, Acadia satellites. Capella is launch agnostic, leveraging diverse launch providers to place its satellites in a variety of orbits, both mid-inclination and sun-synchronous. 

As of January 2024, Capella Space had four operational satellites. It has raised about $250 million in total equity and debt financing since its founding in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/10/capella-space-raises-60-million-from-billionaire-thomas-tulls-fund.html |title=Capella Space raises $60 million from fund run by billionaire entertainment exec Thomas Tull |author=Michael Sheetz |website=cnbc.com |date=10 January 2023 |access-date=2023-07-10}}</ref>

== Contracts ==
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 {{wipe|United States 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 [[Organization:National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency|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 [[Company:Inmarsat|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.<ref name="SFN20200831">{{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}}</ref> 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''.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 [[Organization:NASA|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.  

In partnership with [https://pacgeo.com/satellite/capella-space/ Pacific Geomatics], Capella imagery is also now 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. 

== Satellites ==

=== Sequoia satellite ===
The Sequoia [[Astronomy:Earth observation satellite|Earth-imaging satellite]] was originally supposed to launch as a [[Engineering:Secondary payload|secondary payload]] on the Indian rocket [[Engineering:Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle|Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle]] (PSLV) in late 2019, but the mission was postponed, prompting Capella to move the satellite to a [[Engineering:Falcon 9|Falcon 9]] [[Engineering:Rocket|rocket]] of [[Company:SpaceX|SpaceX]], according to Payam Banazadeh. It was booked to fly as a rideshare passenger on the Falcon 9 launch with Argentina's [[Engineering:SAOCOM|SAOCOM 1B]] [[Astronomy:Earth observation satellite|radar observation satellite]] in late March 2020. But that launch was also delayed at the request of Argentine's space agency ([[Organization:Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales|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.<ref name="SFN20200830">{{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}}</ref>

Capella had previously signed a contract with [[Company:Rocket Lab|Rocket Lab]] for a dedicated launch for a future satellite, and Banazadeh said the company decided instead to put Sequoia on the [[Company:Rocket Lab|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.<ref name="SFN20200830" /> The Electron launcher delivered Sequoia to a 525 km orbit, inclined 45.0°. Sequoia has a launch weight of 100 kg.

=== Whitney satellites ===

Six Whitney satellites were originally planned. The first two (Capella-3 and Capella-4) were launched on the [[Engineering:Falcon 9|Falcon 9]] Transporter-1 rideshare mission to a [[Astronomy:Sun-synchronous orbit|Sun-synchronous orbit]] on 24 January 2021.<ref name=GSPC /> 

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

Capella-5 (Whitney-3) was launched as a rideshare on the mission Transporter-2 on 30 June 2021.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

===Acadia satellites===
In August 2022 the company announced the development of a new generation of [[Engineering:Synthetic-aperture radar|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, and will be able to provide better resolution, higher imaging quality and shorter times between customer orders and delivery. They are equipped with optical communication terminals (OCTs) making Capella Space the first commercial SAR company to demonstrate Optical Inter-Satellite Links.<ref>{{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}}</ref> In early 2023, Capella [https://www.capellaspace.com/press-releases/rocket-lab-signs-multi-launch-deal-to-deploy-satellite-constellation-for-capella-space/ announced a multi-launch agreement] with [[Company:Rocket Lab|Rocket Lab]] for four dedicated launches, including a launch of Capella's first Acadia satellite. The launch of the first satellite took place on 23 August 2023 at 23:45 UTC.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ List of satellites<ref>{{cite web |title=Satellite Catalog |publisher=CelesTrak|url=https://celestrak.com/satcat/search.php}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Capella 1 (Capella Denali)|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/capella-1.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Capella 2, ..., 9 (Sequoia, Whitney)|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/capella-2.htm}}</ref>
! ||Capella-1||Capella-2||Capella-3||Capella-4||Capella-5||Capella-6||Capella-7||Capella-8||Capella-9||Capella-10
|-
!Name||Denali||Sequoia||Whitney-1||Whitney-2||Whitney-3||Whitney-4||Whitney-5||Whitney-6||Whitney-7||Whitney-8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Launch date||3 Dec 2018||31 Aug 2020||24 Jan 2021||24 Jan 2021||30 Jun 2021||15 May 2021||13 Jan 2022||13 Jan 2022||16 Mar 2023||16 Mar 2023
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Launch Vehicle||Falcon 9 B5||Electron||Falcon 9 B5||Falcon 9 B5||Falcon 9 B5||Falcon 9 B5|| Falcon 9 B5|| Falcon 9 B5||Electron||Electron
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[Astronomy:Orbital inclination|Inclination]] (degrees)||97.7||45.1||97.5||97.4||97.5||53.0||97.5||97.5||44.0||44.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Decay date||25 Jan 2023||28 Feb 2023||26 Feb 2023||8 Apr 2023||23 Feb 2023|| || 26 Aug 2023|| 6 Sept 2023||
|}



{| class="wikitable"
|+ List of satellites<ref>{{cite web |title=Satellite Catalog |publisher=CelesTrak|url=https://celestrak.com/satcat/search.php}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Capella 11, ..., TBD (Acadia)|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/capella-11.htm |date=5 December 2023 |access-date=6 December 2023}}</ref>
! ||Capella-11||Capella-12||Capella-13||Capella-?||Capella-14||Capella-15||Capella-16
|-
!Name||Acadia-1||Acadia-2||Acadia-3||Acadia-?||Acadia-4||Acadia-5||Acadia-6
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Launch date||23 Aug 2023 || 19 Sep 2023 ||2024 ||2024 || 2024 || 2024 || 2024
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Launch Vehicle||Electron||Electron||Electron||Electron||Falcon 9||Falcon 9||Falcon 9
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[Astronomy:Orbital inclination|Inclination]] (degrees)||53.0
| rowspan="2" |''Launch failure''|| || ||53|| 45|| 97 || 
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Decay date|| || || || || ||
|}

== See also ==
* [[Astronomy:Earth observation satellite|Earth observation satellite]]
* [[Engineering:COSMO-SkyMed|COSMO-SkyMed]]
* [[Company:ICEYE|ICEYE]]
* [[Company:Planet Labs|Planet Labs]]
* [[Engineering:TerraSAR-X|TerraSAR-X]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* Capella Space [https://www.capellaspace.com/ website]

[[Category:Aerospace companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Spacecraft manufacturers]]

{{Sourceattribution|Capella Space}}