Capella Space logo

Capella Space

operating 201–500 employees

Designs, manufactures, and operates X-band synthetic aperture radar satellites delivering sub-meter resolution Earth observation imagery in all weather conditions.

About

Capella Space designs, manufactures, and operates a constellation of X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites that capture high-resolution Earth imagery regardless of weather or lighting conditions. The Acadia-class spacecraft deliver radar resolution down to 0.25 meters with optical inter-satellite links for reduced data latency. Capella produces satellites in-house at its San Francisco facility.

The company provides SAR data through a cloud-native platform with an automated tasking API, enabling customers to submit requests and receive processed data within hours. Its customer base includes the NRO, U.S. Space Force, and NGA, alongside commercial clients in maritime monitoring, disaster response, and mining. Capella was acquired by IonQ in July 2025 and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary, developing a space-based quantum key distribution network by integrating quantum encryption into its satellite infrastructure.

Products & Services

Third-generation X-band SAR spacecraft with sub-0.25m resolution, optical inter-satellite links, and extended duty cycle enabling up to 10 minutes of imaging per orbit
Cloud-native platform with automated tasking, catalog search, and RESTful API for programmatic SAR data access and delivery
Multi-angle SAR processing that highlights manmade structures and moving objects in color for accelerated visual analysis
Highest resolution collection mode with 0.25m azimuth resolution and up to 52 seconds dwell time for fine detail extraction and motion detection
Automated SAR-based detection and classification of military and commercial vessels including warships, submarines, tankers, and container ships

Locations

San Francisco, CA
Louisville, CO

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Overview

Founded 2016
HQ San Francisco, California, USA
Type Private Company

Leadership

Frank Backes
Chief Executive Officer
Matt O'Connell
Executive Chairman
Jessica Hunter
General Counsel & Board Secretary
Nathan Kennedy
Senior Vice President, Operations
Gordon Farquharson
Vice President, Sensor Systems
Brandon Smith
Vice President, Space Systems
John Horn
Vice President, Customer Engagement
Carey Hicks
Vice President, Human Resources
Justin McNaughton
Chief Financial Officer

Classification