What are Capella's tasking parameters?
Capella enables highly customizable SAR tasking through its Console and API. This article outlines all configurable parameters for new acquisitions—including timing, geometry, sensor orientation, and orbital preferences. Users can define acquisition windows, collection type, look angle, polarization, and other advanced options like azimuth and grazing angle (API-only) to meet mission-specific needs.
Below is a table of the parameters available to users by submitting new acquisition tasking requests using either the Capella Console or Capella API.
|
Imaging Parameter |
Description |
Units |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Window Open |
The earliest user-defined date when acquisition can occur. Image acquisition can begin any time after the Window Open time up to the Window Close time. |
Date Time |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Window Close |
The latest user-defined date when acquisition can occur. Image acquisition must occur no later than the Window Close time which effectively sets the tasking request expiration date. |
Date Time |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Collection Type |
The desired collection type for the acquisition, which sets the collect mode, scene length, and resolutions for the collect. |
String | n/a |
n/a |
|
Collection Time |
The user-defined time when acquisition can occur. Image acquisition can be set to occur only at night (6pm to 6am local time), during the day (6am to 6pm local time), or anytime. In the API, this parameter is called localTime. |
Integer | n/a |
n/a |
|
Collection Tier |
The scheduling importance of the new acquisition request (e.g. Routine, Urgent, Priority, Standard, or Flexible).
|
String |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Observation Direction |
Whether spacecraft is looking Left or Right with respect to its velocity vector during image acquisition. |
String |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Orbit State |
Whether the spacecraft is on the Ascending (South to North) or Descending (North to South) orbit during image acquisition. |
String |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Orbital Plane |
Whether the spacecraft is in a mid-inclination or sun-synchronous inclination during image acquisition. Capella's spacecraft are in 45°, 53°, and 97° degree inclinations. |
Degrees |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Look Angle |
Minimum angle between the sub-satellite point and the collect center point from the satellite to the target. Based on the full accessible look angle range of the Capella radar the smallest possible look angle is 5° while the largest possible look angle is 50°. |
Degrees |
5 |
50 |
|
Grazing Angle |
Angle between the tangent plane to the Earth's surface and the line of sight of the satellite as seen from the collect center point. The corresponding grazing angle range for the fully accessible look angle range of the Capella radar is 33° to 84.5°. This parameter is API only. |
Degrees |
30 |
85 |
|
Azimuth Angle |
Clockwise angle with respect to North in a topocentric geodetic ENZ coordinate system from the target to the satellite. The values can wrap around (i.e. minimum of 340 and maximum of 20). This parameter is API only. |
Degrees |
0 |
360 |
|
Scene Width |
Desired image scene width. This parameter is only customizable for Stripmap collection types. |
Kilometers |
5 |
10 |