Umbra, a company specializing in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, has been selected for a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award by SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force. The initiative is aimed at accelerating the deployment of mature, mission-ready technologies for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and allied commercial partners.
The STRATFI program, part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) effort, connects private-sector innovators with defense stakeholders and investors to fast-track the adoption of critical technologies. With potential funding of up to $60 million, the program enables Umbra to develop custom space-based intelligence capabilities in partnership with defense agencies including the Space Development Agency (SDA).
In addition, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is committing R&D support over the next three years to advance Umbra’s SAR capabilities, reinforcing the broader STRATFI mission to integrate top-tier commercial technologies into national defense applications.
As part of the initiative, Umbra will design, build, and launch a next-generation satellite constellation optimized for wide-area SAR coverage—particularly suited for search-and-find missions across open ocean and maritime domains. This advanced system is intended to support Combatant Commanders with rapid, agile intelligence collection—focusing especially on the Indo-Pacific region, a strategic priority for U.S. defense planning.
“This marks an important step in delivering our mission-critical solutions directly to the warfighter,” said Dr. Bonnie Kean, Director of Mission Solutions at Umbra. “We’ve spent the last four years working closely with the DoD, and we remain fully committed to delivering high-performance, reliable satellite systems that enhance national security.”
Umbra is widely recognized for its innovative SAR technology. In 2024, the company successfully released bistatic imagery from its tandem satellite constellation—paving the way for cooperative satellite operations that enhance moving target detection and wide-area surveillance.
This latest partnership with the DoD underscores Umbra’s role in strengthening the space-based intelligence infrastructure and reinforces the broader effort to bring leading-edge commercial space capabilities into the defense ecosystem. By moving beyond the prototype stage and into real-world applications, Umbra is helping ensure critical technologies reach the front lines – faster.
