MONTAIN VIEW, Calif. – The National Reconnaissance Office will invite companies to propose remote sensing capabilities on an ongoing basis.
Previously, the agency responsible for designing, building and operating US spy satellites solicited proposals through Broad Area Announcements, which defined submission and contract award deadlines.
Next year, the NRO will seek proposals through a contract mechanism called the Commercial Solutions Opportunity (CSO). Through the CSO, the NRO will invite companies to submit proposals for electro-optical, radar, hyperspectral and other remote sensing modalities that the agency has investigated through BAAs. The NRO is also looking for new capabilities like space-based LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), Pete Muend, head of the NRO’s commercial space office, said Oct. 24 at the MilSat Symposium here.
Specifically, the CSO is seeking proposals from companies that have satellites in orbit or have a launch manifest to send spacecraft into orbit. The CSO will offer “rolling admissions,” Muend said. “Companies can submit when they meet these requirements.”
Commercial radar layer
Meanwhile, the NRO continues to work with other government agencies to establish a program of record for the purchase of commercial synthetic aperture radar through a program called the Commercial Radar Layer.
“The executive branch is probably within a few months of formalizing these requirements,” Muend said. “So at the end of the day, Congress gets a vote as well.”
In 2022, the NRO awarded survey contracts to synthetic aperture radar companies.
“We’ve been able to use that data and really increase it over time,” Muend said. “We are very keen to move forward with proper sourcing to establish contracts that respond to these requirements, hopefully next year.”
In the meantime, the NRO will “continue to buy commercial radar because we have the money to do so,” Muend said. “We certainly have needs and requirements both on the American side as well as in working with our partners and allies.”
Global marketplace
Companies intending to work with NRO must obtain National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration remote sensing licenses. Additional requirements focus on US ownership.
“We understand that this is a global marketplace, and we want American companies to succeed in that marketplace,” Muend said. “I would like to be able to turn around 10 years from now and continue to buy data from American companies. And more generally, I am convinced that America’s commercial space success is well aligned with America’s national security interests.”