XpressSAR
XpressSAR satellites. Credit: XpressSAR artist's concept

WASHINGTON — A company planning to deploy a constellation of radar imaging satellites in the early 2020s announced Nov. 5 that it has received a commercial remote sensing license from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

XpressSAR Inc. of Arlington, Virginia, said it received the NOAA license Oct. 28 for a system of four satellites that will collect synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The planned system, according to the company, will collect images in all weather and lighting conditions at resolutions ranging from 30 meters to less than 1 meter.

The company has not announced who will build and launch the spacecraft.

The company states on its website that it plans to deploy the satellites into low Earth orbit in 2022.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...