BlackSky Concludes Initial Design Review of ‘Gen-3’ Satellite for Army Tactical GEOINT Effort

Spaceflight Industries’ BlackSky subsidiary has completed preliminary design review activities for its proposed next-generation satellite for a U.S. Army program focused on tactical geospatial intelligence.

BlackSky said Thursday it is developing its Gen-3 satellite which will serve as part of the company’s expanded constellation and support program goals under the TACGEO agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit.

Gen-3 will have an image resolution capacity of 50 centimeters and can host multisensor payloads such as short-wave infrared to enable real-time data generation in various conditions including nighttime and inclement weather.

Brian O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky, said the company used artificial intelligence and analytics to drive the development of Gen-3 and is “very proud to have reached this performance milestone.”

In January, BlackSky secured the contract for the TACGEO effort that seeks a prototype system to support military exercises, combat training and wargaming activities.

BlackSky expects initial design and production activities to take place in 24 months ahead of scheduled launch and demonstration activities in 2022.