Space Commerce

BlackSky Selected by National Reconnaissance Office to Explore Commercial Hyperspectral Imagery Capabilities

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
Black Sky
March 24, 2023
Filed under , , ,
BlackSky Selected by National Reconnaissance Office to Explore Commercial Hyperspectral Imagery Capabilities
BlackSky

BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) was selected by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to explore commercial hyperspectral image capabilities under a multi-stage Strategic Commercial Enhancements Broad Agency Announcement Framework study contract.

“This contract further expands BlackSky’s long term relationship with the U.S. government as an innovation partner for leveraging advanced commercial capabilities to meet emerging intelligence challenges,” said Brian E. O’Toole, BlackSky CEO.

During the initial stage of the contract BlackSky will demonstrate technical capabilities via modeling and simulation and validate business and cybersecurity concepts of operation.

“Next-generation hyperspectral imagery coupled with BlackSky’s unique low-latency, high-frequency monitoring can expand real-time mission intelligence capabilities beyond the visible range,” O’Toole added. “Today our multi-intelligence software platform combines electro-optical, SAR (synthetic aperture radar), and radio frequency data and analytics. Hyperspectral capabilities are a natural extension of our agile space architecture.”

Hyperspectral sensors help mission planners characterize objects based on material makeup. For example, these sensors can identify artificial versus real vegetation, decoy equipment, and hazardous materials. Rapid-revisit, low-latency hyperspectral capabilities can significantly increase the ability to identify and maintain custody of objects of interest, penetrate enemy obfuscation techniques, and develop detailed pattern-of-life analyses in highly dynamic environments.

About BlackSky

BlackSky is a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence. BlackSky delivers on-demand, high frequency imagery, monitoring and analytics of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets, and events in the world.

BlackSky designs, owns and operates one of the industry’s leading low earth orbit small satellite constellations, optimized to capture imagery cost-efficiently where and when our customers need it. BlackSky’s Spectra AI software platform processes data from BlackSky’s constellation and from other third-party sensors to develop the critical insights and analytics that our customers require.

BlackSky is relied upon by U.S. and international government agencies, commercial businesses, and organizations around the world. BlackSky is headquartered in Herndon, VA, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as BKSY. To learn more, visit www.blacksky.com and follow us on Twitter.

Investor Contact
Aly Bonilla
VP, Investor Relations
abonilla@blacksky.com

Media Contact
Pauly Cabellon
Director, External Communications
pcabellon@blacksky.com

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.