WASHINGTON \u2014 The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded BlackSky a contract worth up to $99 million to develop a large optical imaging payload intended for future space-based intelligence systems.<\/p>\n
The contract, announced March 6, is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 agreement that runs through 2032. The deal was issued by the laboratory\u2019s Center for Rapid Innovation.<\/p>\n
Herndon, Virginia-based BlackSky is a publicly traded satellite imaging company that builds and operates Earth-observation satellites and sells analytics based on their imagery.<\/p>\n
Under the contract, the company will develop and test a large-aperture optical imaging system designed around a segmented mirror architecture. Segmented optical systems use multiple mirror panels that deploy and align in orbit to form a single large telescope, allowing satellites to achieve larger imaging apertures and wider coverage than conventional cameras.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis contract provides for the development of a low-cost, precision, large aperture optical imaging system testbed using a segmented primary mirror, precision laser metrology and mirror positioning, and large format focal plane arrays,\u201d according to the announcement.<\/p>\n
Such technologies could support wide-area surveillance missions, enabling satellites to scan large geographic regions while still identifying relatively small objects such as vehicles, ships, aircraft or equipment movements.<\/p>\n
The agreement sets a maximum value of $99 million, though the government initially obligated about $2.1 million. Under the IDIQ structure, additional work would be funded through task orders as the technology matures.<\/p>\n
Wide-area satellite imaging<\/p>\n
BlackSky has previously outlined plans to expand into wide-area satellite surveillance.<\/p>\n