The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has granted the first three contracts under its newest program for commercial imagery providers, aimed at helping the agency take advantage of innovative space technologies.
The Strategic Commercial Enhancements Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) program is designed to give the agency more flexibility in acquiring commercial technologies, focusing on remote sensing systems such as electro-optical, hyperspectral, radar, radio frequency, and light detection and ranging.
The initial awards went to:
- Australian start-up HEO, for sensors providing up-close imagery of other satellites.
- British start-up SatVu, for thermal imagery from its HotSpot satellites carrying medium-wave infrared cameras.
- U.S. firm Sierra Nevada Corporation, for radio-frequency geolocation data.
Companies have a five-year window to submit proposals under the CSO, with additional awards expected later this year.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Povak, the NRO’s deputy director, announced the awards at the Defense and Intelligence Space Conference last week. He told industry leaders that the agency is seeking new ideas from private companies to scale up its satellite constellations.
Povak said commercial partnerships serve as a “force multiplier,” helping the NRO enhance capability and resilience across its satellite architecture. He added that technologies developed through these collaborations will support warfighters, policymakers, and other users.
“We, from the high ground of space, see, hear, and sense things that no one else can,” Povak said, underscoring the role of commercial innovation in sustaining U.S. space advantages.