NRO extends contracts for 4 providers, readies new acquisition approach
NRO Deputy Director Maj. Gen. Christopher Povak said that the spysat agency soon will begin using a new commercial contract vehicle with a five-year "rolling" window for bids.
NRO Deputy Director Maj. Gen. Christopher Povak said that the spysat agency soon will begin using a new commercial contract vehicle with a five-year "rolling" window for bids.
"Those of us who follow the space industry closely understand the autonomous flight termination is a key component of the range of the future. In fact, for DoD missions, autonomous flight termination is a mandate by 2025," said NASA's David Pierce.
Rather than going into a polar orbit, the Cluster 6 birds will be stationed in an inclined orbit over the middle of the globe, explained HawkEye 360's Chief Operating Office Rob Rainhart in an interview with Breaking Defense.
“Since the 2019 award of an integration study contract for commercial RF, we’ve seen increasing demand for this data source from across the user community,” said Chris Scolese, director of the NRO.
The markup also calls for a comprehensive report on how DoD plans to leverage ISR data from commercial radio frequency (RF) satellites, noting that lawmakers have been "encouraged" by the successful use of RF geolocation in exercises, including by European Command.
Pete Muend, director of the NRO Commercial Systems Program Office, told the USGIF GEOINT 2022 conference that RF tracking for Ukraine has been "great benefit," and spy agency wants to expand the capability.
While the NGA chief said it's "surprising to see that information advantage on the battlefield is so far countering superior equipment and mass" in Ukraine, experts warn a future information fight with China won't likely go as smoothly.
Leidos' investment raises Hawkeye 360's total amount of Series D funding — typically the last round of private investment before a startup goes public — to $150 million.
"Unfortunately, some of the Army's signature modernization efforts, as spectacular as they are, don't work with the other signature modernization efforts," said Ed Mornston, G2 at Army Futures Command.
The ability to directly access remote sensing satellite data for targeting has long been a Holy Grail for the Army.
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"Is the coin of the realm the 70 years of craft that they have, or is it about what they uniquely hold?" asked former ODNI deputy Sue Gordon.
NRO, NGA, CIA, DIA and NSA are the "standing members" of the new council, says its chairman David Gauthier of NGA.
"NGA expects unclassified space-based geospatial data to become ubiquitous and widely available," says NGA's David Gauthier.
"This language from the SASC serves notice that they intend to keep a close eye on the NRO’s commercial remote sensing program," observed Keith Masback, a former senior defense and intelligence official.