Capella Launches Taskable InSAR for Automated, Millimeter-Scale Earth Monitoring

What Is InSAR and Why It Matters Now

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a powerful remote sensing technique used to detect millimeter-scale changes in the Earth’s surface over time.

By comparing multiple SAR images collected over the same area, InSAR measures subtle ground movement—revealing deformation that would otherwise go undetected.

This capability is critical for:

• Infrastructure monitoring
• Urban subsidence detection
• Landslide and geohazard early warning
• Energy and mining operations
• Defense and intelligence analysis

While InSAR has long been used in research and specialized applications, operational use has historically been limited by inconsistent data collection, long revisit times, and manual workflows.

Introducing Taskable InSAR from Capella

Capella, an IonQ company, is introducing taskable InSAR capabilities designed to bring deformation monitoring into operational, real-world workflows.

For the first time, customers can:

• Task repeat-pass SAR collections directly
• Automate collection and delivery workflows
• Access consistent, high-frequency data for time-series analysis

This marks a shift from static imagery collection to continuous monitoring, enabling earlier detection of change and more confident decision-making.

How Capella’s InSAR Capability Works

Capella’s approach is built on automated tasking and precise orbital repeatability.

Customers define an area of interest and select a repeat interval. From there:

• Tasking is scheduled automatically
• Data is collected at consistent geometry
• Imagery is delivered without manual intervention

The result is a reliable stream of InSAR-ready data, designed for integration into existing geospatial workflows.

Capella delivers data as Single Look Complex (SLC) imagery, preserving both amplitude and phase information required for InSAR processing.

Key Capabilities of Capella’s InSAR Offering

Automated 3-Day Repeat Monitoring

Capella enables 3-day repeat cycles, allowing analysts to detect deformation trends earlier and monitor change continuously over time.

Precision Repeat Ground Tracks

Capella maintains tight orbital control, ensuring consistent acquisition geometry required for reliable InSAR time series.

Dual-Orbit Architecture (SSO + MIO)

Capella operates satellites in both:

• Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO)
• Mid-inclination orbit (MIO)

This enables multi-angle observation, improving the ability to separate vertical and horizontal ground movement.

High-Resolution X-Band SAR

Capella’s X-band SAR supports high-resolution monitoring of infrastructure, urban environments, and critical assets.

Real-World Performance: Mexico City Subsidence

In a 2025 study over Mexico City:

• Deformation rates exceeded 70 cm per year
• Data was collected across 18 acquisitions in just seven weeks

This represents a significant increase in temporal density and monitoring speed compared to conventional approaches.

Use Cases: Where InSAR Delivers Immediate Value

Capella’s taskable InSAR supports a wide range of mission-critical applications:

Maritime Awareness

Monitor coastal infrastructure, ports, and shoreline stability to detect subsidence, structural risk, and environmental change across critical maritime zones.

Infrastructure & Asset Monitoring

Track millimeter-scale movement across bridges, pipelines, mines, and urban environments to detect risk early and maintain operational continuity.

Disaster Response

Identify early indicators of fires, landslides, ground instability, and post-event deformation to support faster response, damage assessment, and recovery planning.

Defense and Intelligence

Detect subtle terrain and asset movement to support mission planning, situational awareness, and activity monitoring in denied or remote environments.

From Analysis to Operations: A Shift in Earth Monitoring

Traditional InSAR workflows have been limited by:

• Inconsistent revisit intervals
• Unpredictable acquisition geometry
• Manual tasking and coordination

Capella’s approach addresses these challenges by delivering:

• Consistent, repeatable data collection
• Automated tasking and delivery
• High-frequency monitoring at scale

This enables organizations to move from periodic analysis to continuous monitoring, improving situational awareness and response time.

Accessing Capella InSAR Data

Capella’s InSAR capability is available through:

• Capella Console
• Capella API

Customers can:

• Task repeat-pass collections
• Access archive data where available
• Integrate data into existing processing workflows

For organizations requiring full analysis workflows, Capella connects customers with analytics partners specializing in InSAR processing and interpretation.

The Future of Persistent Earth Intelligence

As demand grows for continuous, reliable Earth monitoring, InSAR is becoming an essential tool for understanding how the planet is changing in near real time.

With taskable InSAR, Capella is enabling:

• Faster detection of physical change
• More reliable time-series analysis
• Scalable monitoring across global environments

This capability represents a meaningful step toward persistent, automated Earth intelligence—supporting better decisions across infrastructure, environment, and national security.

Download Sample Dataset

Capella Open Data

Learn More

Connect with our team to explore Capella’s InSAR capabilities and see how automated, repeat-pass SAR can support your mission.