Seattle-based Kapta Space has raised $24 million in Series A funding as it expands production of radar payloads for space-based intelligence. Washington Harbour Partners led the financing alongside co-lead Bison Ventures, with MetaVC and other investors participating. The round brings total disclosed funding to $30 million.
Kapta is developing electronically steerable radar hardware that can change where it looks without mechanically repositioning an entire antenna. The company is targeting moving-target indication, a defense application that aims to detect and track activity from orbit. It said the financing will support several classified contracts secured earlier this year.
Radar offers a different set of capabilities from optical imagery. It can collect information in conditions where visible-light sensors face constraints, although performance depends on the sensor design and the mission. The cost and size of traditional radar payloads have limited how widely some architectures can be deployed.
Kapta’s challenge now is industrial rather than purely conceptual. It must convert specialized technology into repeatable production, integrate sensors with space platforms and meet the demanding reliability and security requirements of defense customers. A successful transition would give satellite operators another option beyond large, expensive legacy systems.