Array Labs, Raytheon, Umbra form partnership focused on 3D mapping from space

WASHINGTON — Defense contractor Raytheon is partnering with satellite imaging startups Array Labs and Umbra Space to develop advanced three-dimensional Earth observation technologies for the commercial and government markets.

The companies announced Jan. 27 they will jointly offer a new product called Site3D, which combines synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology with specialized mapping algorithms to create detailed 3D models of the Earth’s surface.

SAR technology, which can capture images regardless of weather conditions or time of day, has gained increasing commercial adoption as satellite companies seek to provide continuous monitoring capabilities to customers.

Santa Barbara-based Umbra Space currently operates SAR satellites for Earth observation, while Palo Alto startup Array Labs is developing clusters of small radar satellites designed to work in formation to capture multiple angles of the same location simultaneously. The goal is to create a high-resolution 3D map of the Earth. 

Raytheon and Umbra “will help us educate customers, bring 3D data products to market faster, and launch our own satellite imaging clusters,” said Array Labs CEO Andrew Peterson.

The partnership leverages Raytheon’s experience in imagery processing. “We’re bringing precise 3D processing algorithms, developed over two decades of working with electro-optical imagery,” said Erich Hernandez-Baquero, vice president of space intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at Raytheon, based in Arlington, Virginia.

The collaboration is expected to create expanded market opportunities, according to Umbra. The company’s vice president of remote sensing Joe Morrison said Array and Raytheon “have transformed our data into a totally new product applicable to customers we never would have known existed, let alone reached, without them.”