Rendering of a BlackSky satellite. Photo: BlackSky

BlackSky Technology won a one-year extension with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract for its satellite imagery. BlackSky announced the extension on Jan. 14, reporting it came one year ahead of schedule. 

BlackSky was named to the EOCL contract along with Maxar and Planet in 2022, and it is the largest-ever commercial imagery contract effort, expanding how the NRO acquires commercial capabilities. This extends BlackSky’s performance until mid-2026, into the fourth year of the 10-year contract. 

With this extension, BlackSky said it will add “enhanced ground architecture features to improve image searchability and utility and provide more timely notice of intended collection status.” 

“Our customer’s early commitment represents continued confidence in BlackSky as a trusted mission partner as the NRO makes additional strides in leveraging commercial space technology to strengthen national security with a seamless path toward integrating our future Gen-3 capabilities,” said BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole.

BlackSky’s position on this contract has contributed to the company’s revenue growth over the past few years. BlackSky’s 10-year contract is worth up to $1.021 billion. When the contract was announced in 2022, it had a five-year base subscription with a starting value of $85.5 million.

In addition to this NRO contract, BlackSky is also working with the U.S. Space Force through its Global Data Marketplace (GDM) which allows the Space Force access to buy commercial analytics. BlackSky recently announced it has received multiple contracts under the Space Force pilot program.