NRO Extends Contracts, Readies New Commercial Acquisition Approach
WASHINGTON - The National Reconnaissance Office is strengthening its commercial partnerships while fundamentally reshaping how it acquires intelligence data from the private sector. The agency announced contract extensions for four leading Earth observation providers and unveiled plans for a new acquisition framework designed to offer greater stability and longer-term funding opportunities.
The NRO’s Commercial Systems Program Office awarded a 23-month extension to HawkEye 360 for radio frequency geolocation capabilities and 15.5-month extensions to Capella Space, ICEYE US, and Umbra for synthetic aperture radar data services. While contract values remain classified, these extensions underscore the NRO’s continued reliance on commercial capabilities to augment its classified satellite constellation.
These extensions emerge from the NRO’s Strategic Commercial Enhancement program, launched in 2022 to rapidly access diverse intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data types through short-term contracts. The program currently supports 11 commercial companies across four data categories: electro-optical imagery, hyperspectral imaging, radar, and radio frequency geolocation. Companies like Planet, Orbital Sidekick, and Spire Global round out the agency’s commercial roster.
However, the NRO is now preparing a significant shift in its commercial acquisition strategy. Deputy Director Maj. Gen. Christopher Povak announced Wednesday that future contracts will flow through a Commercial Solutions Opening mechanism featuring a five-year revolving window and multi-phenomenology approach. This new framework allows commercial providers to submit unsolicited proposals at any time during the five-year period, fundamentally changing how the agency engages with industry.
The CSO model will encompass electro-optical, radar, RF, hyperspectral, and LIDAR capabilities, providing a more comprehensive data acquisition strategy. The NRO released a request for proposals in July, and officials are currently reviewing industry responses, though no award timeline has been announced.
This evolution reflects years of industry advocacy for more predictable, longer-term contracting arrangements. Commercial remote sensing providers have consistently pushed for formalized partnerships that provide greater business certainty. The new CSO approach directly addresses these concerns while maintaining the NRO’s operational flexibility.
The transition also signals the NRO’s confidence in commercial space capabilities. As these companies mature and demonstrate reliability, the agency can confidently expand its reliance on multiple vendors rather than maintaining expensive, redundant classified systems.
Industry analysts expect robust competition in the CSO program, with established players and emerging startups positioning themselves to capture long-term NRO funding.
Source ID: SRCE-2025-1764914686243-1166