Synspective

Synspective is a Japanese private Earth imaging company that develops and operates a constellation of small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites called StriX. The company's 100kg class SAR satellites can gather high-resolution data in 1–3 million resolutions, covering over 1,000km anywhere on Earth, regardless of time or weather. 

Synspective provides SAR data, analytics, and remote monitoring services to governments, companies, and organizations worldwide. Its solutions cater to diverse applications across industries such as urban planning, construction monitoring, infrastructure management, and disaster response.

The company was founded in February 2018, and, in July 2019, Synspective reached USD 100 million in funding within 17 months of its establishment, setting a record for the fastest fundraising by a space startup globally.

As of September 2024, Synspective had launched five SAR satellites, including its first demonstration satellite StriX-α in December 2020, followed by StriX-β in February 2022, the pre-commercial StriX-1 in September 2022, and a StriX satellite in August 2024.  The company aimed to have a constellation of 30 satellites operational by around 2026, enabling near real-time global observation capabilities. In November 2024, Synspective commenced full-scale SAR satellite manufacturing at Yamato Technology Center.

Key customers and partnerships

Synspective has established several partnerships to advance and increase the availability of SAR imagery data. This included collaborations with 1) Geoimage for Australia in October 2022, 2) the Wrocław Institute of Spatial Information and Artificial Intelligence (WIZIPISI) for Poland in October 2023, 3) Domidus Prime for Croatia in December 2023, and 4) Orbital EOS for the analysis of oil spill detections in Syria in October 2021. In June 2024, Synspective signed a Multiple Launch Agreement (MLA) with Rocket Labs for the further deployment of 10 StriX satellites. 

The company had also partnered with national agencies including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Vietnamese National Remote Sensing Department in July 2021 and February 2024 for the advancement and implementation of natural disaster monitoring, disaster recovery, and natural resource management services.