New satellite can spy inside buildings, see through walls [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Capella Space’s Capella-2 satellite uses Synthetic Aperture Radar that can sharply view the planet.
• The technology is capable of 50cm x 50cm resolution imaging with its Spotlight mode.
• Despite the ability of its innovation, the firm insists that the technology should not be used to spy on people in their homes as they cannot image anything inside although the radar waves can penetrate walls.

Capable to penetrate building walls, new satellite Capella-2, which uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), can view the earth and create high- resolution images of almost any place.

The new satellite’s SAR is powerful to view the planet regardless of air visibility, cloud covering or time of day. Taking powerful radio signals, the radar “illuminates” a point of interest and collects data on the echo of each pulse that bounces back — which aided in the interpretation and creation of a detailed image.

With its Spotlight mode allowing long exposures and “crystal clear” imagery, the satellite is capable of 50cm x 50cm resolution imaging.

Capella Space, the company that designed Capella-2, explains: “The technology uses radio waves, which are capable of traveling through walls (like cell phones and Wi-Fi). But, as we know, even cell phone and Wi-Fi signals weaken as they move further away from a cellular tower or a Wi-Fi access point. Radar signals are the same: They can travel through walls, but are far too weak to image or see anything indoors.”

Further, Capella insists that the equipment should not be used to spy on people in their homes, adding that they cannot image anything inside although the radar waves can penetrate walls.

The company’s goal for creating the technology is to help people globally in improving their businesses and lives by monitoring climate, crop fields and infrastructure.

Presently, Capella Space is offering governments or private companies requests of images of anything from around the world.

Capella Space CEO Payam Banazadeh, a former system engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion laboratory, said: “Everything we do is through the lens of how we can help our customers make better decisions with data and grapple with the accelerating pace of change in the world today.”

Roughly, Capella-2 has the size of a washing machine when launched into orbit. But once it reaches the space, the satellite deploys a boom which is about the length of a minivan and opens out a high gain antenna that is a size of a small bedroom.

The firm said that the technology is “nothing short of remarkable.”

Source: Daily Mail