Constant innovation is necessary in order for the National Reconnaissance Office “to stay ahead of those people and organizations and nations that want to keep us from delivering the information that we need,” according to Chris Scolese, the agency’s director.
Scolese, a past Wash100 awardee, made the remarks on Sept. 11 at the Global Aerospace Summit, which was hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to a news article posted Wednesday on the NRO website.
Innovation covers industry partnerships, such as expanding the types of organizations with which the NRO collaborates. Scolese said his agency is “working across a broad spectrum,” including small, emerging businesses as well as large, traditional contractors.
The NRO director noted that through such partnerships, his agency has been provided with what he described as “essentially commodity spacecraft,” which, when fitted with sensors, can then support the effort to establish a proliferated architecture of satellites, of which a new batch was recently launched into orbit.
The NRO is also working to reduce barriers preventing companies from doing business with the government. Various efforts include the Director’s Innovation Initiative, which provides $500,000 to finance emerging research via a firm fixed-price contract.
Sensitive compartmented information facility space is also provided for small companies so they can undergo training to learn how to operate in a classified environment, Scolese explained.
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