Capella Space

Capella Space is a US synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite company founded in March 2016 by Payam Banazadeh and Will Woods, headquartered in San Francisco with facilities in Colorado and Virginia; in July 2025 it was acquired by quantum computing firm IonQ but continues operating its Earth-observation business and brand.

Its third-generation Acadia SAR satellite constellation captures all-weather, day-and-night imagery down to sub-0.25-meter resolution, while its TCPED platform automates tasking, collection, processing, and dissemination so defense, maritime security, and disaster-response customers can revisit key sites 2 to 15 times a day.

1. Acadia constellation: third-generation SAR satellites delivering sub-0.25 m resolution imagery.

2. All-weather imaging: radar sensors penetrate cloud, fog, and darkness for continuous monitoring.

3. TCPED automation: end-to-end tasking, collection, processing, and dissemination pipeline.

4. Rapid revisit: sites can be re-imaged 2 to 15 times per day, with under 3-hour turnaround in priority areas.

5. Defense and maritime use cases: supports intelligence, maritime surveillance, and disaster-response missions.

6. IonQ backing: now part of IonQ, combining SAR infrastructure with quantum communications research.