National Reconnaissance Office Opens Up to Commercial Space Industry for Earth Observation Data

At the GEOINT Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida, Pete Muend, the head of the National Reconnaissance Office’s commercial space office, announced plans to establish a flexible contracting pipeline to incorporate the latest innovations from private remote sensing companies. The aim is to use commercial imagery to complement national systems and address the increasing demands from military and intelligence agencies for Earth observation data.

Brett Scott, who heads the NRO’s Geospatial Intelligence Information Systems Acquisition Directorate, highlighted the organization’s interest in leveraging cutting-edge technologies of the commercial space industry and providing proper incentives to companies. Acknowledging the profit motive of these companies, Scott emphasized the need to find effective and efficient ways to acquire these systems moving forward.

The NRO is finalizing plans for a significant procurement exclusively for commercial synthetic aperture radar imagery, known as the “radar commercial layer.” While decisions have not yet been made, discussions on this matter are already well underway. This proposed approach represents a departure from traditional acquisition strategies that have typically focused on specific imagery phenomenologies.

Muend emphasized the importance of seamlessly integrating multiple commercial capabilities into government architecture while also acknowledging his office’s intention to introduce a new contracting vehicle with an “open-ended rolling environment” that can accommodate various types of imagery such as electro-optical or synthetic aperture radar. The goal is to ensure that companies can reap rewards while also meeting government needs for Earth observation data.