In the past few decades, the world of astronomy has remarkably grown. We can attribute this growth to the advancement in technology. Payam Banazadeh, CEO and founder of Capella Space, has developed unique ways of using technology to monitor the earth’s surface more closely. Here are some of his successful innovations.
His Role at NASA
Before founding Capella Space, Payam Banazadeh worked as an intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He later served as NASA’s Project Manager and flight system engineer. While working here, Payam Banazadeh came up with ideas that helped manage highly complicated satellite systems.
Founding Capella Space
The disappearance of Malaysia’s Airline Flight 370 motivated Payam Banazadeh to come up with a collection of satellites that could systematically monitor the planet. His aspiration to provide timely observation-based data led him to start a company that would invest its time and resources in watching the earth.
Adopting Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Technology
For a long time, optical satellites have been used to monitor the planet. These satellites collect light reflected from the earth and turn it into an image. The downside to this is 75% of the earth is usually dark at night and when clouds are present. Providing timely data using these satellites has proven difficult since they only access around 25% of the earth’s surface.
Payam’s desire to provide timely data inspired him to shift from optical satellites to SAR satellites. These satellites could emit their energy and could function just fine without relying on sunlight. By adopting SAR technology, his company succeeded in providing real-time data regardless of the circumstances on the earth.
Payam Banazadeh has been on the frontline of providing the public with timely and high-quality satellite imagery products. After founding Capella Space, he adopted SAR satellites instead of the widely used optical satellites. His adoption of the SAR satellites reveals the great influence technology has on astronomy.