echoloc

Umbra Tech Stack

Space-based synthetic aperture radar constellation for persistent earth observation

Defense and Space Manufacturing Arlington, Virginia 51–200 employees Founded 2015 Privately Held

Umbra designs and operates a SAR satellite constellation for defense and intelligence customers, built on FPGA and embedded Linux systems. The engineering-heavy hiring profile (72 of 97 active roles) reflects active development across flight software, ground systems, and next-gen radar hardware—while pain points around scaling manufacturing and reducing single-threaded dependencies signal the company is moving from early operations into sustained production and reliability.

Tech Stack 14 technologies

Core StackPython Linux Rust Node.js React Synthetic Aperture Radar Xilinx Vivado Xilinx SoC FPGA Windows SAFe SAR SD-WAN

What Umbra Is Building

Challenges

  • Ensuring system uptime and performance
  • Improving team processes
  • Integrating space-based capabilities into remote sensing architecture
  • Scaling development and manufacturing for national security
  • Meeting evolving regulatory obligations
  • Meeting client expectations
  • Expanding capacity for mission control systems
  • Scaling environments without fragile configurations
  • Maturing observability strategy
  • Reducing single-threaded dependencies

Active Projects

  • Autonomous satellite operations support
  • Integration of xilinx soc hardware with high-speed data converters and microwave transmitter/receiver chains
  • Ground software systems for sovereign sar satellite operations
  • Mission scheduling
  • Mission solutions programs
  • Next-generation space radar systems
  • Self-service sar data imagery request platform
  • Embedded flight software for umbra missions
  • Capture strategy and proposal development
  • Robust api services

Hiring Activity

Accelerating95 roles · 50 in 30d

Department

Engineering
72
Product
9
Data
7
Ops
3
Sales
2
Communications
1
HR
1
Manufacturing
1

Seniority

Senior
75
Manager
12
Mid
7
Director
2
Staff
1

Notable leadership hires: HR Director

Company intelligence

Find more companies like Umbra by tech stack, pain points and active projects

Get started free

About Umbra

Umbra is a space technology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The company builds and operates a synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation that delivers high-resolution earth imagery in all weather and lighting conditions. The product stack spans three layers: remote sensing data acquisition from orbit, space systems hardware and spacecraft operations, and mission solutions platforms for customers. Umbra designs, manufactures, and operates its systems in-house, giving them direct control over imaging quality and system reliability. Primary customers are U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

HeadquartersArlington, Virginia
Company Size51–200 employees
Founded2015
Hiring MarketsUnited States

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Umbra's satellite technology?

Umbra operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites that capture high-resolution imagery regardless of weather or time of day. The systems are built on FPGA hardware (Xilinx SoC), embedded Linux flight software, and ground software for mission control and data processing.

Where is Umbra headquartered?

Umbra is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The company is privately held, founded in 2015, and has 51–200 employees. All hiring is currently based in the United States.

Similar Companies in Defense and Space Manufacturing

Other companies in the same industry, closest in size