The Wire · live GRID-REF 37°47′N 122°25′W
DISPATCH 03/26 · 25 Aug 2026
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Company Dossier

Umbra

Santa Barbara SAR satellite company providing high-resolution radar imagery for national-security, commercial and civil missions.

FILE · umbraOpen-source file · BattlePolicy ProStatus PrivateVerified
Umbra
Space / SARUSPrivate
Santa Barbara SAR satellite company providing high-resolution radar imagery for national-security, commercial and civil missions.
Founded
2015
HQ
Santa Barbara, CA
Headcount
Undisclosed
Total raised
Undisclosed in captured sources
Valuation
Undisclosed
Stage
Private

Background

Umbra was founded in 2015 and is based in Santa Barbara, California. The captured company row lists David Langan as CEO, and Umbra's about page describes leadership backgrounds in national-security space systems.

The company designs, builds, operates and sells access to a commercial synthetic-aperture-radar satellite constellation.

SAR imagery is useful because it can collect at night and through cloud cover, supporting national-security, maritime, disaster-response and commercial monitoring missions.

Umbra is a space and SAR profile. Its defense relevance is high-resolution remote sensing, not platform autonomy or munitions.

Financial footing

  • Company about page describes Umbra's SAR satellite network
  • Candidate source notes an NRO contract extension for commercial SAR imagery

Umbra is private. The captured sources did not provide total funding, latest valuation or revenue.

The company appears to fund and operate a vertically integrated SAR constellation, but financial details should be updated from funding releases or corporate databases before publication as a quantified profile.

Major customers & contracts

Umbra's search capture includes a company announcement that it was selected for NRO Strategic Commercial Enhancements Stage III, strengthening U.S.

SAR capabilities. The captured result quotes CEO David Langan on delivering SAR data to the NRO. No contract value was captured in this pass.

Leadership & contact surface

Leadership: David Langan
Official site: https://umbra.space

Contact policy. BattlePolicy maps roles and official, published channels only — who owns a decision and the front door — never individuals’ personal phone numbers, private emails or home details. This keeps the file GDPR-clean and welcome to the companies we profile.

Competitive position

Umbra competes with Capella Space, ICEYE, Synspective, iQPS and national satellite-imagery providers. Its edge is U.S. ownership, vertical integration and a high-resolution SAR data pitch.

Its weakness is the capital intensity of constellation maintenance and competition from larger imaging firms with broader government channels. If NRO commercial SAR demand expands, Umbra can grow without becoming a full prime. If pricing compresses, SAR imagery risks becoming a commodity feed.

Battlefield relevance

No confirmed combat use to date in the captured sources. SAR imagery can support military operations, but this profile does not claim a specific theater or tasking record.

Sources & verification

🔒 BattlePolicy Pro — the analyst verdict on Umbra follows: where this file is strong, where the evidence is thin, and what would change our assessment. Unlock with BattlePolicy Pro →