NASA has awarded a $476 million contract to seven companies for the provision of commercial satellite imagery according to Techcrunch. The contract, which spans five years with a possible six-month extension, falls under NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program, an initiative aimed at acquiring remote sensing imagery from commercial providers to support Earth science research.
The selected companies include Umbra, Capella Space, and GHGSat, along with Maxar’s intelligence division, PlanetIQ, Spire, and Airbus Defence and Space subsidiary Airbus DS GEO. This contract will enhance NASA’s Earth observation capabilities by integrating data from commercial satellite constellations, offering higher resolutions, increased temporal frequency, and other advanced features.
NASA initiated this acquisition program in 2017 by awarding contracts to Planet, Maxar, and Spire. Scientists can access the commercial datasets obtained by NASA for their research, provided they adhere to the terms and conditions set by the companies. The agency also mandates end-user license agreements to facilitate data sharing with its partners.
This contract is part of NASA’s broader strategy to engage with and support commercial firms in developing technologies that can be procured as a customer. Another example of this approach is NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare program, which allows providers to offer launch services for NASA’s science and technology missions.
