NRO issues 3 SAR satellite data providers ‘rigorous’ new contracts

WASHINGTON — The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) today announced new contracts to three synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite operators — Capella Space, ICEYE US and Umbra — in what the spy satellite agency called a “significant step” designed to provide operational data for integration with data from its own classified intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance birds.

The new contracts have a year-long performance base running from Aug. 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, as well as two optional follow-on years that, if executed, would run through July 31, 2029, according to the NRO press release. The agency did not reveal the value of the awards, as its budget is classified.

An NRO spokesperson told Breaking Defense in an email that the move by the agency’s Commercial Systems Program Office will enable a “rapid transition” of the companies’ current study contracts into new Radar Commercial Augmentation (RCA) contract vehicles based on “rigorous requirements.”

The new contracts “transition these successfully proven partners into an expanded role for sustained, enterprise-wide delivery of radar data,” the spokesperson added.

The previous contracts were issued last December via the NRO’s Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC) Broad Area Announcement (BAA). The new RCA contracts do not replace the old ones, the NRO spokesperson said, rather represent an “evolution” signifying that the three vendors have fulfilled their earlier contractual requirements.

“This new generation of commercial radar contracts features defined performance thresholds and continuous improvement goals, differing from the demonstrations and studies conducted under the CRC BAA. The RCA approach ultimately better reflects both the current needs of the users and capabilities of the awardees,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Umbra told Breaking Defense today that following “four years of study, this is a new vehicle that operationalizes the program into a firm/fixed price, sole source contract.”

NRO’s release explained, “By integrating commercial SAR capabilities with national systems, the NRO increases its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capacity and flexibility, ensuring timely and persistent global coverage. This approach allows the NRO to leverage the rapid innovation occurring in the commercial space sector to augment its cutting-edge space-based intelligence systems.”

A spokesperson for ICEYE US told Breaking Defense today that the new awards are “focused specifically on expanding government access to commercial radar capabilities to meet mission requirements.”