Rendering of a BlackSky satellite. Photo: BlackSky

BlackSky Technology will research advanced optical inter-satellite link terminal applications for the U.S. Navy after winning a competitive contract under the the Navy’s Project Overmatch and the Department of Defense’s Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative. Under the development deal, BlackSky will explore applications hosted on its 3rd generation imaging satellites, and establish “novel operating concepts that will inform the acquisition of commercial transport network nodes, how data is moved, and how to seamlessly maintain the core Earth-imaging mission.”

BlackSky also said it will modify its systems to accommodate an optical intersatellite link terminal that will be compatible with both the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Transport Layer and commercial transport layers.

“BlackSky is making space a viable option for the tactical ISR mission. Extending our Gen-3 satellite capabilities with optical intersatellite 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,” BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole said in the contract announcement. “End users will receive BlackSky data and insights 10-times faster, with data volumes five-times greater than current systems.”

Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.