National Reconnaissance Office adds HEO, SatVu and Sierra Nevada to commercial imaging program

WASHINGTON — The U.S. spy satellite agency has added three new commercial imaging firms to a growing roster of vendors it is testing for future intelligence missions.

The National Reconnaissance Office, which designs, builds and operates the United States’ fleet of intelligence satellites, said Feb. 10 it has signed Strategic Commercial Enhancements agreements with HEO, SatVu and Sierra Nevada Corp.

The agency said this marks a continuation of its push to tap private-sector space capabilities alongside government-owned systems.

“The NRO is always looking for innovative ways to bring on new partners,” said Chris Scolese, director of the NRO. “This helps ensure we have access to the latest technologies to advance our mission.”

The SCE program is designed to let the NRO evaluate commercially generated data and determine how it could be integrated into intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Rather than committing immediately to long-term data buys, the agency uses these agreements to test performance, utility and scalability across different sensing technologies.

HEO will provide non-Earth imagery focused on objects in orbit, SatVu will deliver medium-wave infrared imagery, and Sierra Nevada will support radio-frequency, or RF, sensing. 

HEO, an Australian startup, uses space-based sensors to inspect and image satellites and other objects in orbit. London-based SatVu operates thermal imaging satellites that detect heat signatures from Earth’s surface. Sierra Nevada, an aerospace and defense contractor, operates a constellation that captures RF emissions data.

The agency said the companies were selected through a “Commercial Solutions Opening” solicitation issued in July 2025. CSOs are a contracting approach that emphasizes rapid evaluation of commercial offerings. The NRO’s CSO uses a two-stage process: an initial phase focused on modeling and simulation, followed by a second phase that assesses on-orbit performance and the maturity of operational products.

Budget permitting, the NRO said it expects to issue additional awards later this year to expand its access to what it calls multi-phenomenology data — information collected across different sensing modes such as optical, radar, infrared and RF.

“The NRO is using a variety of acquisition processes and contract models to bring in new talent and providers and cut the time from concept to delivery,” said Pete Meund, director of the NRO’s commercial systems program office.

Previous selections under the program included five electro-optical imaging contracts in December 2023, six hyperspectral imaging contracts in March 2023, six RF contracts in September 2022 and five radar contracts in January 2022.