NRO expands commercial multi-phenomenology surveillance awards

by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 23, 2026
The National Reconnaissance Office has issued the first three awards under its Strategic Commercial Enhancements Commercial Solutions Opening, advancing the agency's shift toward multi-phenomenology commercial remote sensing capabilities that combine several sensing modalities to support intelligence missions.

Under this initial tranche, HEO will provide non-Earth imagery, SatVu will deliver medium wave infrared imagery, and Sierra Nevada Corporation will supply radio frequency capabilities, reflecting a deliberate expansion beyond traditional electrooptical imaging to hyperspectral imaging, radar, RF, and Light Detection and Ranging solutions that can be integrated into future collection architectures.

NRO Director Dr. Chris Scolese said the Commercial Solutions Opening mechanism gives the agency a more flexible path for onboarding new partners and technologies, describing it as a contracting approach that enables rapid evaluation and adoption of emerging commercial capabilities that directly address mission needs.

The CSO serves as an alternative to Broad Agency Announcements and is designed to bring in innovative commercial items, technologies, and services that map directly to NRO requirements, lowering barriers for non-traditional providers and broadening the pool of companies able to compete for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance work.

Released in final request for proposal form in July 2025, this CSO is the first of its kind for the NRO Commercial Systems Program Office and was structured specifically to reach a wider marketplace, emphasizing opportunities for firms that may not have previously worked with the national security space community.

The CSO establishes a two-stage award process in which the first stage concentrates on modeling and simulation activities, allowing providers and the NRO to characterize performance and mission value, while the second stage focuses on assessing on-orbit capabilities and evolving operational products that can transition into regular support for mission users.

Subject to available funding, the NRO plans to make additional awards later in the year to further extend these multi-phenomenology capabilities, signaling an intent to build a more diverse and resilient commercial sensing ecosystem that can be scaled and updated as new technologies mature.

Commercial Systems Program Office Director Pete Meund said the organization is drawing on a variety of acquisition processes and contract models to shorten timelines from initial concept to operational delivery, arguing that broader use of commercial capabilities will strengthen ties with industry and enhance collaboration with government mission partners.

These new awards build on earlier Strategic Commercial Enhancements efforts, including five commercial electrooptical contracts awarded in December 2023, six hyperspectral imaging contracts in March 2023, six radio frequency contracts in September 2022, and five radar contracts in January 2022, collectively forming a layered portfolio of commercial sensing services.

By placing these initiatives under a common Strategic Commercial Enhancements Commercial Solutions Opening framework, the NRO aims to accelerate integration of commercial innovations into its architectures and create more agile opportunities for companies to contribute to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions across multiple phenomenologies.