Earth observation

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded BlackSky Geospatial Solutions a $99 million IDIQ Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract on March 6, 2026 to develop a large-aperture optical imaging system testbed for future space-based intelligence missions. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia through March 2032. The payload design centers on a segmented primary mirror architecture, precision laser metrology and mirror positioning, and large-format focal plane arrays — technologies that enable very high-resolution imagery at lower cost than traditional monolithic optics. The award is separate from BlackSky's existing Gen-3 constellation and its planned AROS wide-area search satellite.

Satellogic launched Aleph Observer on February 23, 2026 — a new persistent geospatial intelligence product that enables ongoing monitoring of hundreds of sites daily with predictable delivery. Unlike traditional episodic EO tasking, Aleph Observer provides systematic monitoring of defined areas of interest over time, with embedded analytics to surface change signals. The product runs on Satellogic's active high-resolution constellation (53+ satellites). The announcement came alongside 2025 annual results showing revenue acceleration and the company's pivot toward "space-as-intelligence" rather than "imagery-on-demand."

Rocket Lab completed its 81st Electron launch on January 30, 2026, deploying South Korea's NEONSAT-1A Earth observation satellite to a 540km SSO for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The "Bridging The Swarm" mission was Rocket Lab's second launch in eight days and set a 100% mission success record for 2026. NEONSAT-1A carries a high-resolution optical camera for near-real-time disaster monitoring of the Korean Peninsula. It is the second satellite in a planned 11-satellite government constellation (NEONSAT-1 launched April 2024). CEO Peter Beck: "Two launches in eight days is a strong start to the year."

Rocket Lab completed its 81st Electron launch on January 30, 2026, deploying South Korea's NEONSAT-1A Earth observation satellite to a 540km SSO for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The "Bridging The Swarm" mission was Rocket Lab's second launch in eight days and set a 100% mission success record for 2026. NEONSAT-1A carries a high-resolution optical camera for near-real-time disaster monitoring of the Korean Peninsula. It is the second satellite in a planned 11-satellite government constellation (NEONSAT-1 launched April 2024). CEO Peter Beck: "Two launches in eight days is a strong start to the year."

Varda Space Industries successfully reentered its W-5 capsule on January 29, 2026, landing at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia operated by Southern Launch. W-5 is the first mission using Varda's in-house developed satellite bus — a full vertical integration milestone. The capsule also used a Varda-manufactured heatshield made from C-PICA (Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator), technology licensed from NASA Ames under a Tipping Point award. The payload was carried on behalf of the U.S. Navy. Varda has now flown five W-series missions, targeting quarterly return cadence in 2026 with W-6 launching in 2026.

Satellogic and Australian non-Earth imaging company HEO announced the sale and transfer of the operational NewSat-34 (Mark IV-g) satellite on January 27, 2026. HEO renamed the spacecraft Continuum-1 and became the first Australian entity to own and operate a sub-meter resolution satellite. The transaction, conducted under Satellogic's Sovereignty Government Program, provides HEO with immediate operational capacity and a dedicated on-orbit testbed for non-Earth imaging R&D. Satellogic continues providing operational support. Separately, Satellogic signed an $18 million agreement with CEiiA in Portugal for two NewSat Mark V satellites to be delivered in Q2–Q3 2026.

ISRO successfully launched the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite and 18 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 12 January 2026.

ISRO successfully launched the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite and 18 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 12 January 2026.

Mexico's Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM) announced Mission Ixtli in late 2025 — a program to build and launch four CubeSat-based Earth observation satellites using domestically developed technology, the first of their kind for Mexico. Named after the Nahuatl word for "eyes to see," the satellites will be developed with contributions from UNAM, IPN, and CICESE. First launch is targeted for December 2026. The constellation will monitor forest fires, crops, and wildlife, replacing foreign Earth-observation data that costs the Mexican government ~$13.6 million annually. Year-one budget: $5.4 million. Goal is 50% Mexican domestic content by project completion.

Danti’s AI-powered Earth data search engine selected for automated analysis supporting U.S. Space Force TacSRT and broader Combatant Commands.

Acadia-4 reached operational status after rapid automated commissioning and delivered its first high-resolution X-band SAR images less than 10 days after launch. The 45-degree inclination enables higher daily revisit for mid-latitude targets compared with pure SSO assets. Imagery quality matched the third-generation Acadia design goals of 700 MHz bandwidth.

Acadia-4 reached operational status after rapid automated commissioning and delivered its first high-resolution X-band SAR images less than 10 days after launch. The 45-degree inclination enables higher daily revisit for mid-latitude targets compared with pure SSO assets. Imagery quality matched the third-generation Acadia design goals of 700 MHz bandwidth.

Acadia-4, Capella’s third-generation SAR satellite with 700 MHz bandwidth, reached orbit on the inaugural Bandwagon mid-inclination rideshare. Deployment and initial contact were confirmed; the satellite entered a circular orbit near 556–590 km at 45.6° inclination and remains operational.

Acadia-4, Capella’s third-generation SAR satellite with 700 MHz bandwidth, reached orbit on the inaugural Bandwagon mid-inclination rideshare. Deployment and initial contact were confirmed; the satellite entered a circular orbit near 556–590 km at 45.6° inclination and remains operational.

Capella received formal FCC authorization for Acadia-4 (paired with Acadia-3) covering SAR imaging, downlink, command and inter-satellite frequencies needed for commercial operations.

Capella received formal FCC authorization for Acadia-4 (paired with Acadia-3) covering SAR imaging, downlink, command and inter-satellite frequencies needed for commercial operations.