CAPELLA SPACE NAMED LEADING PIONEER SPONSOR FOR INAUGURAL SPACENEXT 2025
SAR leader anchors the new space economy showcase November 11th and 12th at Capital One Hall in Tysons, VA
Today, Connected DMV, the operator of spaceNEXT, announced that Capella Space, a global leader in high-resolution, all-weather synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, will serve as a leading Pioneer Sponsor of spaceNEXT 2025, taking place November 11-12, 2025, at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia.
spaceNEXT is built on the proven format of Quantum World Congress (QWC)—Connected DMV’s flagship global convening—which occurred on September 16–18, 2025, drawing over a thousand global cross-sector leaders from industry, government, and academia. The event featured remarks from industry giants like Boeing, Microsoft, IBM, IonQ, Infleqtion, Quantinuum, Accenture, Booz Allen, and featured leaders like Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, USPS CIO Pritha Mehra, Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios, among others.
At QWC, Capella demonstrated its leadership at the cutting edge. Gordon Farquharson, Vice President at Capella, spoke in the workshop “Quantum and Space: Technologies Transforming the Final Frontier,” hosted by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). The session convened government, industry, and academic leaders to explore how advances in quantum communications, networking, sensing, and computing will transform navigation, Earth observation, geospatial intelligence, and mission resilience. Farquharson’s remarks highlighted how Capella’s taskable SAR constellation could converge with quantum technologies to create more secure, resilient, and data-rich space systems.
“Capella Space is exactly the kind of partner that signals the caliber and momentum of spaceNEXT,” said George Thomas, President and CEO of Connected DMV. “They operate where the new space economy is headed—fast, data-rich, dual-use, and mission-ready. Capella brings both the technology and the leadership voice to help set the agenda this November. After validating this model with Quantum World Congress earlier this month, we’re thrilled to expand it for the space community at spaceNEXT.”
Capella delivers taskable, high-resolution SAR imagery that provides persistent, day-and-night, all-weather visibility, enabling commercial and government customers to monitor change, enhance situational awareness, and make faster decisions.
“We’re thrilled to join SpaceNEXT and share how Capella, now part of IonQ, is redefining the future of space,” said John Horn, Vice President, Customer Engagement at Capella Space. “As missions grow more complex, the combination of our vertically integrated SAR constellation with IonQ’s quantum-secure networks is unlocking new mission capabilities—from persistent Earth observation to trusted, resilient data delivery. Together, we’re building the foundation for a quantum-powered space era that advances critical commercial and national security missions worldwide.”
Capella is now part of IonQ, following IonQ’s July 2025 acquisition aimed at advancing space-based quantum communications and secure networking. The combined platform aligns persistent Earth observation with quantum-secure data pathways to unlock new mission capabilities for commercial and national security users.
About spaceNEXT
spaceNEXT is the global gathering for visionaries shaping the new space economy—bringing together leaders from industry, government, investment, and research to accelerate the commercialization of space and the terrestrial markets it powers. Operated by Connected DMV, spaceNEXT builds on the proven Quantum World Congress playbook to convene the people, policy, capital, and infrastructure that turn breakthrough ideas into industries. spaceNEXT 2025 will be held November 11–12, 2025 at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia.
About Capella Space
Capella Space builds trusted space systems for critical missions worldwide. The company operates a high-resolution, all-weather, day-night radar satellite constellation. Capella supports defense, intelligence, infrastructure, environmental, and disaster response missions by delivering sensitive insights that accelerate decision-making. Capella was acquired by IonQ in July 2025 to establish the world’s first quantum-secure Earth observation network, bringing quantum innovation to space and transforming the future of intelligence delivery.