NRO awards satellite imagery contracts to BlackSky, Maxar and Planet

The National Reconnaissance Office awarded three multibillion-dollar Electro-Optical Commercial Layer contracts to BlackSky, Maxar Technologies and Planet in what NRO said is its largest-ever commercial imagery contract award, according to an agency press release.

An EOCL request for proposals was first issued in 2021, following study contracts that were issued to the three companies in 2019. The EOCL will expand capabilities provided by the EnhancedView Follow-On contract, which was previously awarded to a Maxar subsidiary in 2019.

The program will continue to furnish the U.S. defense and intelligence communities with unclassified, shareable remote sensing data that can support transparency, situational awareness and humanitarian missions, according to the release.

EOCL was effective beginning May 22, 2022, the release says, and the contracts consist of a five-year base and five additional years of options through 2032. According to a presentation prepared by Maxar, the company’s contract is worth up to $3.24 billion.