Roswell International Air Center, New Mexico. Credit: Capella Space.
A next-generation satellite can peer through the Earth regardless of visibility or the time of day. Thanks to its high-frequency imaging instruments it can penetrate through clouds, fog, moisture, smoke, haze, and even some types of buildings. Don’t worry though, it can’t see what you’re doing inside your home.
The satellite, known as Capella-2, was launched last year in August, but it was only recently that it was made public. It is operated by a company called Capella Space, founded by Payam Banazadeh, a former system engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Capella Space s Capella-2 satellite is capable of 50cm x 50cm resolution imaging with its Spotlight mode
This allows for long exposures up to 60 seconds over an area which results in ‘crystal clear’ imagery
Unlike other commercial satellites, Capella-2 can see through dense clouds and operate at night
This technology is called Synthetic Aperture Radar, which has been used by NASA since the 1970s
It shoots powerful radio signals at a point of interest to illuminate a target on the ground
Echos from each pulse are then collected and interpreted to create the detailed images
Because the satellite sends its own signal down instead of collecting light it can penetrate walls