Capella joins SpaceNet, shares first radar data with consortium - SpaceNews.com

SAN FRANCISCO – Capella Space, a startup building a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, is joining SpaceNet, a nonprofit focused on geospatial applications for artificial intelligence. SpaceNet was established in 2016 by CosmiQ Works, the In-Q-Tel organization focused on commercial space, and DigitalGlobe, now part of Maxar Technologies. SpaceNet provides free high-resolution electro-optical satellite imagery, advertises challenges and awards cash prizes to encourage people to test and refine image analysis tools. SpaceNet has helped expand geospatial research and applications for electro-optical satellite imagery, said Ryan Lewis, SpaceNet general manager and senior vice president at In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of U.S. intelligence agencies. "Looking ahead, we want to see the same occur not just for imagery but also for SAR data," he told SpaceNews.