Umbra announced July 14 that its first synthetic aperture radar satellite's antenna successfully deployed in orbit. The patented antenna is comprised of a series of ribs attached to a central hub that opens to deploy the reflector. Cedit: Umbra

The U.S. Air Force awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts to 29 companies including Umbra, Kymeta, Hughes Network Systems and Hypergiant Galactic Systems to support the Defense Department’s campaign to ensure sensors from all the services feed data into a common network.

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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...