Albedo secures NRO contract for Advanced VLEO satellite imaging capabilities
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 06, 2023

Albedo, a trailblazer in the field of Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellite technology, announced a significant advancement today with the acquisition of a 2.5-year contract from the National Reconnaissance Office's (NRO) Commercial Systems Program Office (CSPO). This contract, under the Strategic Commercial Enhancements Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Framework, particularly focuses on the Commercial Electro-Optical Capabilities (CEC) area.

In this collaboration, Albedo will work in tandem with the NRO to bolster both near and long-term Earth Observation (EO) remote sensing capabilities. This will be achieved through an array of techniques including modeling, simulation, and meticulous data evaluation.

A key aspect of this partnership involves conducting accuracy and quality assessments based on the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS). Albedo's ambition is to elevate the standard of visible imagery to an unprecedented native resolution of 10 cm per pixel, aiming to surpass the current highest commercial rating of NIIRS 5.6 to reach NIIRS 7.0. This enhancement is expected to unlock novel intelligence use cases within the unclassified domain.

Additionally, Albedo is set to introduce Nighttime Imaging (NTI), Non-Earth Imaging (NEI), and video capabilities, utilizing its advanced thermal Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) sensor commercial technology. "We are excited to collaborate with the NRO and contribute to securing America's strategic interests in space," stated Albedo's CEO, Topher Haddad. He emphasized that Albedo's agile VLEO constellation is uniquely positioned to offer high-NIIRS revisit rates and unparalleled point target volumes, currently not available in the commercial sector.

The collaboration will also encompass comprehensive services ranging from tasking to collection and product delivery. Albedo's satellites are designed for high adaptability, ideally suited for ad-hoc tasking and tailored to various intelligence applications.

A distinctive feature of Albedo's satellite technology is its capability to co-collect LWIR data, which can be integrated with visible imagery to create a novel product called Vis-Sharp Thermal. This product offers a unique blend of contextual and time-based activity data within the image, enhancing capabilities in activity detection, indications and warnings, and target discrimination.

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