Blacksky wins contract to gather imagery of space objects | Space

PARIS — BlackSky Technology announced “a seven-figure” contract Sept. 19 from Australian startup HEO to provide imagery of space objects for defense, intelligence and commercial use.

Through the agreement, BlackSky, a firm known for rapid and automated Earth-observation, will join HEO’s non-Earth imaging sensor network.

“Leveraging the power of real-time dynamic monitoring in the space domain unlocks additional value from BlackSky’s high-resolution constellation,” BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole said in a statement. “Space situational awareness is critically important for our customers as the space domain continues to become a highly contested operational environment. Automatically tasking and receiving NEI products reflects yet another pioneering innovation that gives customers reliable and actionable space-based intelligence about spacecraft or on-orbit objects of interest at mission speed.” 

Specifically, BlackSky will share with HEO high-resolution imagery of mid-inclination orbit.

“Activating [non-Earth imaging] capabilities gives BlackSky the ability to leverage unused capacity typically associated with satellites passing over the ocean or satellites in eclipse, traveling across the dark side of Earth,” according to the news release. 

Patterns of Life

Prior to releasing the news, BlackSky and HEO worked together to test the non-Earth…