An artist rendition of a Capella SAR satellite. Photo: Capella

Addvalue Innovation delivered the first flight model of the company’s Inter-satellite Data Relay System (IDRS) terminal to Capella Space. Addvalue’s IDRS system, developed in tandem with Inmarsat, aims to provides the world’s first commercial on-demand, real-time connection for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. This is a significant milestone on the road to next-generation LEO satellite constellation operations.

The partnership between Addvalue, Capella, and Inmarsat is powered by Inmarsat’s global L-band network. The three companies are working towards outfitting Capella’s constellation of 36 small LEO Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites with Addvalue’s IDRS terminals.

Payam Banazadeh, CEO and Founder of Capella commented, “With Addvalue terminals, Capella will be the first satellite imagery provider with real-time tasking. Capella’s mission is centered upon transformative delivery of earth imagery, fueling real-time global insights. The satellite communication expertise that Addvalue and Inmarsat offer perfectly complement this mission; and we are excited about today’s milestone and our upcoming launch.” Payam continued, “Subsequent to the successful delivery of this first flight model, Capella has given the go ahead to Addvalue for the fabrication and supply of the next six flight units to be delivered in early 2020.”