Umbra

Umbra (Umbra Lab, Inc.) is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite operator and manufacturer headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, founded in 2015 by David Langan and Gabe Dominocielo. The company designs and operates a constellation of small SAR satellites that deliver some of the highest-resolution commercial radar imagery available, with demonstrated imaging at 16 cm spot mode — resolution historically restricted to classified government systems.

Umbra's first satellites launched on SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions beginning in 2021, and the constellation has grown to more than ten operational spacecraft. Customers include the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) under its Commercial Radar Study Contract, the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and allied defense and intelligence agencies. Umbra has been prominently cited for providing commercial radar imagery of the Ukraine conflict.

Investors include L3Harris Technologies and private venture capital. Umbra differentiates through both extreme resolution and a vertically integrated approach — the company manufactures its own satellites and reflector antennas in-house. It competes with peers including Capella Space, ICEYE, Synspective, and Predasar.