Our StriX satellites use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to observe and analyze the Earth’s surface down to sub-meter resolutions.
Satellite Orbit and Specifications
Our small SAR satellite StriX boasts a larger swath, lower noise and wider area than other satellites in its class. Our first Strix satellite was placed in orbit in 2020, with more satellites being added each year.
Operating at a nominal altitude of 500km or higher, StriX follows a sun-synchronous orbit typical of other Earth observation satellites and is capable of making daily visits to the same location. This visit frequency will only increase as our constellation grows in size.
Our StriX satellites emit a 9.65GHz (X-band) frequency microwave signal directed at a target on Earth. The amount of signal reflected (“backscatter”) gives a realistic image of the terrain and structural properties at the target location. This is known as a “synthetic aperture” because the moving satellite uses multiple signal captures to mimic the effect of placing one massive antenna in orbit.
Observation Modes
Our StriX satellites offer two observation modes: Stripmap and Sliding Spotlight. The choice of mode reflects the priority placed on either area or resolution.
Stripmap Mode
In this mode, the center of the antenna beam moves in conjunction with the satellite, illuminating the ground with a sequence of electromagnetic pulses. The outcome is a long swath image with a nominal slant-range resolution of 1.8 meters and a nominal slant-azimuth resolution of 2.6 meters. Stripmap is the optimal mode for large-area capture.
Sliding Spotlight Mode
In this mode, the antenna beam is steered during data acquisition to allow a longer observation of a selected area. Because the antenna beam moves at a slower rate, more data is collected, resulting in a nominal slant-range resolution of 0.5 meters and a nominal slant-azimuth resolution of 0.9 meters. Sliding Spotlight is the optimal mode for high-resolution capture.
Learn More
Looking to acquire SAR data for your organization? Download a complete product guide from the page below.
