BlackSky expands non Earth imaging partnership with HEO under new seven figure contract
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 20, 2025
BlackSky Technology Inc. has signed a seven figure Gen 2 space domain awareness expansion contract with HEO to provide fully automated low latency non Earth imaging services for defense, intelligence and commercial missions. The agreement marks the fourth phase of the program, following full automation of the tasking to delivery process.
“BlackSky’s high resolution Gen 2 high cadence monitoring constellation continues to contribute valuable insight for space domain awareness,” said Brian O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “As on orbit activities continue to increase, global monitoring efforts are expanding beyond terrestrial intelligence to include space intelligence. Automatically tasking and receiving NEI products reflects yet another pioneering innovation that gives customers reliable and actionable insight about spacecraft or on orbit objects of interest at mission speed.”
HEO’s autonomous software will identify imaging opportunities and direct BlackSky’s satellites to detect, track, classify and characterize orbiting objects, assess threats and forecast potential impacts. BlackSky’s mid inclination imaging constellation is designed to enhance the ability to gather NEI data over middle latitudes, aiding applications such as constellation monitoring and anomaly detection.
“BlackSky has the ability to leverage remaining capacity typically associated with satellites passing over the ocean or satellites in eclipse, traveling across the dark side of Earth. Customers can now use that excess capacity, with a high quality user experience, to monitor objects in space with no humans in the loop,” O’Toole added.
“Achieving true space awareness is going to require levels of inspection platforms across orbits, ready to capture imagery at a moment’s notice and HEO is building exactly that,” said Dr. Will Crowe, co founder and CEO of HEO. “BlackSky’s high resolution satellites and automated capacity give us eyes in mid inclination orbit, turning downtime into an intelligence goldmine for operators who need to know what’s happening around their assets, when it happens.”
HEO integrated BlackSky’s constellation into its NEI sensor network in 2024. Customers can now order NEI products through the HEO Inspect platform. Once acquired, BlackSky Gen 2 NEI and metadata are processed through HEO Inspect, where advanced algorithms produce analytics reports on object location, attitude, subsystem identification and pattern of life assessments.
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