TechCrunch has a really interesting profile of Umbra up:

Langan invented a very large parabolic mesh radar antenna for a microsatellite form factor. The antenna, which is designed to fold up for launch, is capable of using a full 1,200 MHz of bandwidth and generating a field of vision that extends up to 1,200 kilometers on either side. Like other synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, it can see through clouds and at night. But unlike all other SAR systems that existed before, or exist today, it can capture images at resolutions up to 15 centimeters. That’s high enough to detect a soda can from space.

To Dominocielo, the science was intriguing, but the business case was what made the proposition truly compelling.

“You can’t just have a better product that costs less money,” he said. “It has to be much, much better, and you have to be able to make significantly more money. When we fly over a high-demand area, we take 10 to 15 times more pictures than any startup or any legacy company, which means on a per unit basis, we’re able to make 10 times the amount of money.”