The U.S. Navy has awarded BlackSky Technology a research contract to investigate technology that would provide warfighters with immediately available imagery during critical international and domestic missions.
Under the contract, BlackSky will identify uses and capabilities for advanced optical intersatellite link terminals on board its Gen-3 imaging satellites, the Herndon, Virginia-based company announced Thursday.
Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO, said, “BlackSky is making space a viable option for the tactical ISR mission.”
“Extending our Gen-3 satellite capabilities with optical inter-satellite link terminals will give Navy customers assured access to real-time earth imaging capabilities across the full range of warfighting scenarios both while underway and ashore,” O’Toole stated.
Optical intersatellite links are laser-based communications relays that reportedly transfer faster and more resilient data transmission rates than radio frequency systems. Through the contract, BlackSky will modernize its systems to accommodate an optical inter-satellite link terminal aligned with the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer and commercial transport layers.
“End users will receive BlackSky data and insights ten times faster, with data volumes five times greater than current systems,” O’Toole added.
BlackSky will also look to develop innovative operating procedures that inform the acquisition of commercial transport network nodes, how data is transported and how to maintain the core Earth-imaging mission.