Capella Space

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

WEBSITE LINKEDIN X CAREERS
$60M TOTAL RAISED * 9 SATS ON ORBIT 11 OPEN ROLES 218 EMPLOYEES * 2016 FOUNDED

What does Capella Space do?

SITREP

Capella Space is a private company active in earth observation & remote sensing, satellite manufacturing, and geospatial intelligence & analytics. Based in Louisville, Colorado, it was founded in 2016. It is led by CEO Frank Backes. It operates as a vertically integrated business spanning much of the space value chain. Its lineup includes the Acadia SAR Satellite and Spotlight Ultra components and the Space Systems and Automated Tasking services. It is a subsidiary of IonQ.

Status Operating
HQ Louisville, Colorado
Parent IonQ
Locations San Francisco, California HQ Louisville, Colorado

What has Capella Space done recently?

ACTIVITY

How is Capella Space performing?

PERFORMANCE
FUNDING * ALL FUNDING
$60M TOTAL RAISED
Latest round / Venture $60M
FLIGHT OPS ALL LAUNCHES

What are Capella Space's financials?

FINANCIALS VIEW ALL
$60M Total raised * Venture

What products does Capella Space offer?

CATALOG
Other 8
Acadia SAR Satellite Capella Console & API Colorized Sub-aperture Image (CSI) Commercial InSAR SAR Data Sensor Technology Spotlight Ultra Vessel Classification
service 2
Automated Tasking Space Systems

What regulatory licenses does Capella Space hold?

LICENSES
FCC space station 3
CAPELLA-9 NGSO S3137 ACADIA-1 and ACADIA-2 NGSO S3162 ACADIA-3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11 NGSO S3178

Who leads Capella Space?

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

Is Capella Space hiring?

HIRING ALL 11 ROLES
11 OPEN ROLES
11 NEW / 30D
3 LOCATIONS
2 REMOTE
HIRING IN
Manufacturing 4 Space Systems 4 Constellation Operations 1 Engineering 1
LATEST ROLES CAREERS SITE

Who is connected to Capella Space?

NETWORK GRAPH
IN THE NEWS WITH
Mynaric 2
COMPETITORS
ICEYEUmbraSatellogicLoft OrbitalHawkEye 360Muon SpacePrivateerCognitive SpaceGalaxEyeUrsa Space Systems
CORPORATE & CUSTOMERS
PARENT IonQ
ICEYE Umbra Satellogic Loft Orbital HawkEye 360 Muon Space Privateer Cognitive Space GalaxEye Ursa Space Syste… ExoAnalytic Solu… Planet Labs PBC

How is Capella Space classified?

CLASSIFICATION
Sectors
Earth Observation & Remote Sensing Satellite Manufacturing Geospatial Intelligence & Analytics
Technology
SmallSat SAR AI/ML Onboard Processing Inter-Satellite Link
Orbit & Destination
LEO SSO
Application
Commercial Government-Civil Government-Defense
Thematic
New Space Quantum Pioneer

When was Capella Space's profile last verified?

DATA & SOURCES
Company websitecompany profile, products, locations, press
USAspending.govfederal contract awards
GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat)satellites-on-orbit countGCAT CAPSP
FCC IBFSsatellite and space-station licenses
Industry pressnews coverage
Company job boardopen roles
* Lower-confidence value, or one we haven't anchored to a primary source yet. Profile assembled from 6 sources and cross-checked continuously.
PROFILE
Last verified 2026-06-27
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