Capella Space, a space tech startup specializing in satellite imagery that can see through cloud coverage, announced a 5-year agreement in which NASA's Earth Science Division will purchase high resolutions satellite images from the startup.
As part of the agreement, Capella will give NASA access to its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images that it touts as being some of the highest resolution available. NASA will use it as part of a trial period to see if the images are useful for advancing the organization's goals.
The blanket purchase agreement (BPA) is funded through NASA's Earth Science Division. The agency plans to use the images it purchases to study Earth's interconnected systems and bolster its existing data sets.
The company did not return a request for comment about the deal.
"As the first operator of an American commercial SAR constellation, we are thrilled to support NASA's research efforts," said Capella Space CEO Payam Banazadeh in a press release. "The BPA Framework allows NASA's Earth Science Division to take advantage of our growing constellation of commercial SAR satellites across a wide diversity of orbits"
Capella Space was founded in 2016 in San Francisco and has raised $284 million to date. The company has already signed deals with multiple government agencies including the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Force and even the government of Ukraine.
