Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems of Irvine is building two advanced radar satellites able to see through clouds and darkness.
Tyvak is working with a recently created affiliated startup company, Florida’s PredaSAR, to build the satellite pair known as a “constellation,” providing continuous coverage from outer space.
“It’ll possibly be the largest constellation that Tyvak has built,” said Marc Bell, chairman of PredaSAR and Tyvak parent Terran Orbital in Irvine. “It’s a great credit to the technological know-how of Tyvak.”
The two satellites will contain synthetic aperture radar (SAR), with uses including monitoring of crops and military applications, according to Bell.
2021 Launch
PredaSAR, founded last year, recently completed a $25 million seed financing round and named Retired Air Force Major General Roger Teague chief executive.
In announcing the partnership on March 2, PredaSAR called Tyvak “the world’s leading innovator and provider of nano and microsatellites.”
Tyvak said it “looks forward to working with PredaSAR and manufacturing the first two synthetic aperture radar satellites within its commercial constellation.”
Bell said, “It’s a phenomenal contract for Tyvak, a huge win.” He declined to say how much money is involved.
He expects the satellite launch in the first quarter of 2021.
Up to 44 SAR satellites could ultimately be built for the constellation, according to news reports.
Computer-Generated
“Synthetic aperture radar allows you to see at night, to see through clouds. It’s not an image. It’s radio frequency (RF),” Bell said. “You take that RF and you use that data to create an image similar to how you see a science fiction film.”
The image itself is “computer generated” from the data, and can be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional.
SAR can also be used to detect details including material properties, moisture content, precise movements, and elevation.
“Recent advancements in engineering, manufacturing and the way SAR data is collected and processed have decreased the size, weight, power consumption and cost of SAR systems,” according to PredaSAR.
At the same time, the capabilities of SAR have increased so that data can be sent to the ground in virtual real time to support mission-critical commercial and military applications, the company said.
“It’s very unique, very cool technology that allows us to not only see objects but to see through objects because it’s radio,” according to Bell.
PredaSAR said the $25 million funding round was raised from a group of global institutional investors, including Miami-based lead investor, Rokk3r Fuel.
Rocket Lab
Separately, Rocket Lab, which plans to move its U.S. base from Huntington Beach to Long Beach this year, has announced its own synthetic aperture radar satellite launch for Capella Space of San Francisco.
Later this year, the mission will launch the first satellite of Capella’s Whitney constellation on an Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.
By positioning the satellite on a 45-degree inclination, Capella Space will maximize coverage over important areas such as the Middle East, Korea, Japan, South East Asia, Africa and the U.S., according to Rocket Lab.
The launch paves the way for reliable and persistent imagery of anywhere on the globe, day or night, and in any weather conditions, according to Rocket Lab.
Capella’s space-based radar can detect very small changes on the surface of the Earth, providing insights and data that can be used for security, agricultural and infrastructure monitoring, as well as disaster response and recovery, Rocket Lab said on March 5.
