First image: The International Space Station as it passed over the Philippines on September 12, 2024. The space station was 85 kilometers away at the time of capture. According to NASA the space station travels at a speed of 5 miles (8 kilometers) per second. Second image: A Starlink satellite orbits above the Pacific Ocean near Alaska on August 28, 2024, 120 kilometers away from the BlackSky satellite at the time of capture. (Photos: BlackSky)
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has been awarded a seven-figure data services contract from HEO to bring automated, low-latency capabilities, to non-Earth imaging (NEI) services for defense, intelligence and commercial use.
Under the agreement, the companies will partner to bring BlackSky’s current constellation into HEO’s NEI sensor network. The contract is now moving into its second phase with a focus on automating the entire tasking-to-delivery process, following a successful initial proof of concept phase.
BlackSky will provide proprietary mid-inclination orbit, high-resolution imagery to HEO. BlackSky’s high-cadence imaging capabilities are expected to increase the feasibility of capturing NEI data over the middle latitudes of Earth. Activating NEI 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.
Customers will be able to request NEI products through HEO’s automated tasking and delivery platform, HEO Inspect. Upon request, HEO’s software automatically finds imaging opportunities and sets tasks on BlackSky’s mission scheduling system via API. Once collected, BlackSky NEI imagery and metadata from its current constellation will be transferred into HEO Inspect where object detection and identification algorithms will generate advanced analytics reports that include information such as a satellite’s attitude and location, subsystems identification and pattern-of-life analyses.
“Leveraging the power of real-time dynamic monitoring in the space domain unlocks additional value from BlackSky’s high-resolution constellation,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “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.”
“HEO is driving innovation in space by delivering non-Earth imaging solutions at scale, giving our customers in-orbit insights when timing is crucial,” said Dr. Will Crowe, Co-Founder and CEO of HEO. “Adding BlackSky’s high-resolution constellation to HEO’s sensor network through this partnership will unlock even more applications of NEI data across industries.”