Aspia Space is involved in remote sensing, using satellite sensors to track physical attributes on the ground. While most Earth observation satellites rely on optical sensors for images, these sensors can be obstructed by clouds, smoke, and air pollution, resulting in data gaps. However, radar satellite imagery overcomes this limitation by bouncing radio waves and microwaves off the Earth’s surface and detecting the echoes. Aspia uses ClearSky to convert radar images into optical ones for easier interpretation. To achieve higher resolution, Aspia and other companies utilize synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which simulates longer antennas.
Companies like Capella Space, Umbra Space, and Iceye have recently adopted SAR technology in the commercial space industry. Unlike Aspia, these companies own their own satellites and sell or license radar data to others. For instance, Capella has introduced an analytics partnership program allowing other companies to develop algorithms using Capella’s radar images. According to Adam Thomas, the director of business development at Capella, one of the remarkable applications of SAR is comparing high-resolution radar images to identify precise changes like distressed crops versus healthy ones.
Courtesy Origin Digital
Previously, SAR data was mainly accessible to military and intelligence agencies, but now private companies like Umbra provide customers access to radar data, enabling more potential uses, particularly in analytics. Todd Master, the chief operating officer of Umbra, highlights the ability to compare high-resolution radar images to detect precise changes like distressed crops and flood tracking. Additionally, Aspia is incorporating generative AI into ClearSky to forecast future crop growth and droughts. Similar to language models like GPT, ClearSky uses satellite imagery to predict likely sequences of future images.