Orbital Insight detected anomalies in automobile traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. When this image was captured on April 20, 2020, there were 1,131 cars on Beijing's 4th Ring Road, compared with 500 cars counted on March 1, 2020.

Space situational awareness company Privateer acquired geospatial data analysis firm Orbital Insight in a deal announced May 6.

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Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient...