National Reconnaissance Office Extends Satellite Imagery Deal With Maxar Technologies

Maxar Technologies announced Wednesday that the National Reconnaissance Office has exercised a contract option to continue procuring satellite imagery services from the company through August 2022. The NRO, the agency developing and operating classified spy satellites, acquires satellite imagery from multiple commercial vendors, but it was reported that Maxar is its largest supplier.

The NRO exercised the second of three one-year options on the company’s existing EnhancedView Follow-On contract signed in 2018. Each year the contract is extended is worth about $300 million. This second contract option year starts Sept. 1 and ends Aug. 31, 2022, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the agency will put to a close the awarding of EnhancedView contracts in favor of a new program called Electro-Optical Commercial Layer. Maxar and other commercial players like Planet and BlackSky are competing for a share of the EOCL contract. The NRO issued a draft request for proposals in June.

Maxar presently operates four high-resolution imaging satellites, WorldView-1, 2 and 3 and GeoEye-1, and is building a more advanced WorldView Legion constellation. Launch of the company’s latest space assets has, however, been delayed, according to SpaceNews.

Dan Jablonsky, president and CEO of Maxar, told reporters during Wednesday’s earnings call that the launch schedule for WorldView Legion has been impacted by component delays and the company expects to begin launching sometime between March and June 2022. He said that hardware from Raytheon Technologies is being delivered later than originally anticipated.

Jablonsky said that Raytheon is working double-time on the satellite components, and the series of deliveries is expected in September. However, the deliveries of these components were originally set for July, the executive said, explaining the delayed launch.