Clarity VLEO Imaging Satellite

Albedo’s Clarity is a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) imaging satellite system operating below 300 km altitude — roughly half the altitude of traditional low Earth orbit imaging satellites — to deliver 10 cm ground sample distance visible imagery and thermal infrared collection from a platform designed and manufactured for commercial scale deployment.

At VLEO altitudes, proximity to the Earth’s surface provides the physics-driven resolution advantage of the Clarity system: for a given telescope aperture, image resolution improves proportionally with decreasing altitude. Operating at 250–300 km rather than 450–600 km enables the same resolution performance from a satellite with a significantly smaller and less expensive optical system, while also delivering higher signal-to-noise ratio for thermal sensing applications. The Clarity satellite incorporates atomic oxygen-resistant materials validated for the VLEO environment, low-drag aerodynamic geometry, and autonomous continuous station-keeping to maintain orbit against residual atmospheric drag.

The system is optimized for national security applications, including high-resolution EO for intelligence and reconnaissance, direct-to-device RF communications with proximity-improved link margins, active sensing (radar, lidar) with R⁴ signal improvement over LEO, and space domain awareness using the VLEO vantage point. Albedo has secured contracts with the NRO and US Space Force. The proliferated constellation architecture provides resilient reconstitution capability and continuous global coverage appropriate for defense programs requiring assured access.