Seeing Beyond the Smoke: SAR for Wildfires

In disaster response, visibility can mean the difference between delayed decisions and life-saving action. Yet active wildfires often create conditions that limit traditional Earth observation. Smoke, ash, haze, clouds, and darkness can obscure critical areas just when responders need information most.

Capella Space's Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology is changing that. Operating day or night and in virtually any weather conditions, Capella's taskable constellation delivers high-resolution imagery that penetrates smoke and atmospheric interference, providing emergency managers, humanitarian organizations, and government agencies with timely insight when optical systems may be limited.

Through its partnership with NASA's Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program, Capella provides SAR data to support disaster response efforts and help organizations better understand the impacts of natural disasters around the world.

Why Wildfire Monitoring Matters

Wildfires are becoming more frequent, intense, and destructive. During active fire events, responders face rapidly evolving conditions while simultaneously dealing with reduced visibility caused by:

• Dense smoke and ash plumes
• Cloud cover and atmospheric haze
• Nighttime conditions
• Damage to infrastructure and communications

These challenges can make it difficult to understand the scope of an event and prioritize response efforts. SAR imagery provides a complementary source of information, helping analysts maintain situational awareness regardless of environmental conditions.

Beyond active response, disaster recovery teams also need accurate information to assess damage, establish pre-event baselines, and support rebuilding efforts. This is where advanced SAR analytics and interferometric SAR (InSAR) capabilities become especially valuable.

SAR in Action: The Palisades Fire

AOI: Southern California

When the Palisades Fire impacted Southern California, smoke and nighttime conditions limited the effectiveness of many traditional imaging systems. Capella SAR data provided NASA with an unobstructed view of the affected area, cutting through smoke, ash, and darkness to capture detailed imagery of the damage zone.

Using change analysis, analysts were able to identify areas where the landscape had changed significantly following the fire. By comparing imagery collected before and after the event, our SAR collects revealed disruptions across the affected region, providing a clearer understanding of the fire's impact.

Use Case Impact

SAR imagery can help disaster response organizations:

• Monitor affected areas despite smoke, haze, or nighttime conditions
• Improve situational awareness during rapidly evolving events
• Support damage assessment workflows
• Prioritize resources and response activities
• Provide timely information to emergency management teams

Beyond Response: Supporting Recovery with InSAR

Disaster recovery does not end when the flames are extinguished.

Long after a wildfire subsides, communities face the complex process of assessing damage, rebuilding infrastructure, and understanding how landscapes have changed. Establishing a reliable baseline is critical for these efforts.

Capella's InSAR capabilities enable customers to analyze changes over time by comparing historical and newly collected SAR imagery. These products can support:

• Baseline analysis before and after disasters
• Identification of landscape and infrastructure changes
• Monitoring of ground deformation and environmental impacts
• Recovery planning and rebuilding efforts
• Long-term resilience initiatives

By transforming multiple SAR collections into change measurements, InSAR provides an additional layer of insight that helps organizations move from emergency response to informed recovery.

Supporting Disaster Response Through NASA's CSDA Program

Capella is proud to be a vendor partner within NASA's Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program, which enables NASA researchers and customers to access commercial Earth observation data for scientific research and disaster response applications.

Through this partnership, Capella SAR data has been used to support disaster-related activities by providing reliable imagery when traditional optical sensors are obstructed by smoke, clouds, or darkness. This collaboration demonstrates how commercial SAR capabilities can complement existing Earth observation systems and help deliver critical information to those working on the front lines of natural disasters.

Turning Data into Actionable Insight

From active wildfire monitoring to post-disaster recovery, persistent visibility is essential.

Capella's SAR constellation provides dependable imaging capabilities when environmental conditions challenge conventional sensors. Combined with advanced analytics and InSAR products, SAR enables organizations to understand change, assess impacts, and make more informed decisions throughout the disaster lifecycle.

Whether supporting emergency response, damage assessment, or long-term recovery planning, Capella delivers the timely, reliable insight needed to help communities respond and rebuild with confidence.

Interested in learning more about Capella's InSAR capabilities and disaster response solutions? Explore our InSAR products or connect with our team.