{"id":28420,"date":"2020-07-17T19:00:18","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T19:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/17\/how-the-intelligence-community-is-approaching-commercial-imagery\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:03:27","slug":"how-the-intelligence-community-is-approaching-commercial-imagery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2020\/07\/17\/how-the-intelligence-community-is-approaching-commercial-imagery\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the intelligence community\u2019s new plan for commercial imagery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Starting in 1961, the National Reconnaissance Office has been tasked with designing, building, launching and operating the United States\u2019 fleet of intelligence satellites. Over the years, that mission has evolved, bolting on new components and missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now in 2020, the NRO is looking to change once again, moving beyond the status quo by issuing a new set of contracts toward the end of this year that will reshape the intelligence community\u2019s relationship with commercial imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Muend, the head of NRO\u2019s commercial imagery efforts, told C4ISRNET that the agency is \u201cobviously very committed to utilizing commercial imagery to the maximum extent practical in support of defense, national security and all the other mission areas that we serve.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the best philosophy that underpins that is one that says \u2018We really are looking to buy everywhere we can and only build what we have to\u2014what\u2019s really not available on the commercial market,\u2018\u201d Muend said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An important condition to that approach is that the commercial imagery market actually have commercial support. In other words, Muend doesn\u2019t want any of these companies to exist solely to support government requirements. There should be a real commercial market for these capabilities, which will help drive down costs for the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand the agency\u2019s approach to commercial imagery, it\u2019s best to go back to 2017, when the NRO took over the role of acquiring commercial satellite imagery on behalf of the intelligence community from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Under this new paradigm, NGA serves as the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) functional manager, determining what imagery the intelligence community needs and writing those requirements, but it\u2019s up to NRO to determine how those requirements are filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\t