Photo:Capella Space

Capella Space, an information services company that provides Earth Observation (EO) data on demand, entered into an agreement with Addvalue for use of its Inter-Satellite Data Relay System (IDRS) via Inmarsat‘s global L-Band satellite communications network. The Inmarsat network provides satellite uplink and downlink services, which helps enable Capella to task any satellite in its constellation in any location in the world in real-time. Through its agreement with Addvalue, Capella will become the only Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) provider with real-time tasking capability.

Addvalue terminals on Capella satellites aims to drastically reduce the time required to order and deliver high-resolution imagery. Addvalue’s IDRS will keep Capella’s constellation of 36 SAR micro-satellites in constant contact with Inmarsat’s global L-Band network. Unlike traditional ordering processes that rely on legacy systems such as fax machines, Capella customers will use a web application to log and verify tasking requests routed through the Inmarsat network. Details of the imaging request — e.g., the location, time and frequency of revisit — will be forwarded through the network to the next available satellite, which will maneuver to complete the task and return an image and metadata to Capella’s ground station network within minutes of acquisition.

“In a world where you can send an email in seconds, it should not take up to eight hours to task a satellite and receive the data. This bottleneck doesn’t meet today’s business standards,” said Payam Banazadeh, CEO and founder of Capella Space. “Capella is committed to transforming how Earth imaging companies do business by delivering the most timely, reliable and flexible access to global insights. With our access to the largest network of ground station operators via AWS Ground Station, deploying our data directly into the cloud, and this partnership with Addvalue and Inmarsat to offer real-time tasking and image relay, our customers will enjoy the fastest reactivity in the market.”