National Reconnaissance Office Awards Maxar Subsidiary Follow-On Deal for Radio Frequency Remote Sensing

Aurora Insight, a subsidiary of Maxar Technologies, has received a stage 2 contract extension from the National Reconnaissance Office for commercial radio frequency remote sensing. The award is a follow-on to a stage 1 contract under Strategic Commercial Enhancements, an initiative aimed at improving NRO’s understanding of the existing market for satellite-based RF data and imagery collection.

The first stage required Aurora and five other companies to model and simulate their RF-sensing capabilities. For stage 2, Aurora is expected to test its satellite constellation’s ability to map the Earth’s RF environment, Maxar said.

According to Tony Frazier, executive vice president and general manager of public sector Earth intelligence at Maxar, Aurora’s RF capabilities will be combined with satellite imagery and data analytics.

Earlier, it was announced that stage 1 contract recipients Spire Global and Kleos Space also received stage 2 deals. The two companies are expected to work on geolocation and other use cases for RF.