NRO discusses strategy to incorporate commercial satellite imaging capabilities

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. Muend’s office intends 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.

This proposed approach represents a departure from the traditional acquisition strategy of the NRO, which has typically focused on specific imagery phenomenologies. Muend emphasized the importance of seamlessly integrating multiple commercial capabilities into the government’s broader architecture. Additionally, 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.

Brett Scott, who heads the NRO’s Geospatial Intelligence Information Systems Acquisition Directorate, highlighted the organization’s interest in leveraging the 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 goal is to ensure that companies can reap the rewards of their efforts while also meeting the government’s needs for Earth observation data.