GEOINT

On the NRO’s wish list: AI technologies to manage satellites and data
NRO Director Chris Scolese said the agency wants to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to orchestrate the operation of imaging satellites and to analyze data in orbit

Maxar acquires another tech company as it pursues growth in gaming and media
Maxar is looking to turn its satellite imagery archive into new 3D products for gaming, media and other industries

NRO to add more commercial imagery providers as it builds a ‘hybrid architecture’
The National Reconnaissance Office expects to select next month multiple providers of radio-frequency data collected by commercial satellites.

Analysts: NRO contracts will have long-term ripple effects on satellite imagery industry
The contracts recently awarded by the National Reconnaissance Office to BlackSky, Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs will likely reshape the imagery market, says a new report from Quilty Analytics.

Maxar eyes customers for mobile terminals that downlink satellite imagery in the field
As Maxar continues to see high demand for satellite imagery, it is looking to attract customers for its mobile terminals that give users direct access to commercial imaging satellites.

Space Force has insatiable demand for geospatial intelligence
The U.S. Space Force plans to request funding in the 2024 budget for space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, U.S. Space Force deputy chief of space operations.

Government trying to streamline procurement of commercial space data
NGA is trying to match requirements with commercially available technology, said Frank Avila, commercial and business operations deputy director at the National Geospatial-intelligence Agency

DoD intelligence chief: U.S. made ‘gutsy decision’ to release sensitive imagery to counter Russia’s deception ops
Undersecretary of Defense Ronald Moultrie: The decision to release satellite imagery and other intelligence on Russia’s movements 'was not taken lightly'

Dixon calls for greater transparency and data interoperability
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is underscoring the need to fuse intelligence datasets, like geospatial intelligence, signals intelligence, human intelligence, said Stacey Dixon, U.S. deputy director of national intelligence.

Synthetic data helps train algorithms to spot rare objects
Computer vision models only work after they have ingested extensive data of various objects, which is not always available.

ACT to embed thermal management in Carbon Mapper structures
Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT), a thermal management specialist, announced a contract with Planet to design and build structures for the first two Carbon Mapper methane-monitoring satellites.

Halifax International raising funds to build imaging satellites for Ukraine
Satellogic would produce satellites for Ukraine under a Halifax International initiative

Space companies donate funds for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
Several firms in the commercial space industry have each pledged $50,000 to finance humanitarian efforts in Ukraine

PredaSAR nears first launch of its radar imaging constellation
Radar imaging startup PredaSAR is preparing to deploy its first satellite on the SpaceX Transporter 6 rideshare, projected to launch in October.

NRO plans for immediate and long-term acquisition of commercial satellite data
The National Reconnaissance Office has issued contracts to satisfy immediate needs for commercial satellite data, while drafting requirements to bring commercial capabilities into an integrated architecture that includes classified U.S. government systems.

Vice Adm. Sharp: Commercial satellites a key counterforce to Russian disinformation
Geospatial intelligence has been "instrumental to those fighting in Ukraine, and to shaping worldviews of the crisis,” said Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.