The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense and a member of the United States Intelligence Community that designs, builds, launches, and operates reconnaissance satellites for the U.S. federal government. It provides satellite intelligence, including signals intelligence (SIGINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT), to various government agencies like the NSA, NGA, and DIA. The NRO partners with organizations such as the U.S. Space Force, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX, and its activities include developing advanced satellite technology and launching assets into orbit. Keywords associated with the NRO include: reconnaissance satellites, intelligence, national security, and space-based surveillance.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The National Reconnaissance Office awarded study contracts in 2019 to BlackSky Global, HyspecIQ, Maxar Technologies, and Planet to compare each company’s current and planned capabilities with imagery requirements established by NGA.
The National Reconnaissance Office is working closely with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the rest of the user community on its architecture for ingesting commercial imagery and other data.
Since taking over acquisition in 2018, the National Reconnaissance Office has surveyed the capabilities of the rapidly expanding U.S. commercial satellite industry.
The National Reconnaissance Office took over the acquisition of commercial satellite imagery from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in 2018.
The National Reconnaissance Office intends to complete architecture modifications at least to a reasonable extent by the time it awards operational imagery contracts later 2020.
The 2020 NDAA directed the National Reconnaissance Office to submit a report on commercial space-based radio frequency mapping, and the 2021 draft bill directs the Chief of Operations of the Space Force to deliver an assessment of how U.S. commercial space-based radio frequency capabilities could support the U.S. military.
Rocket Lab announced on 2020-06-18 that it received the National Reconnaissance Office contracts for two Electron missions that were awarded in the late spring of 2021.
The NRO used the RASR contract vehicle to launch three payloads on an Electron rocket on 2020-06-13.
The 2020-06-11 Electron launch includes three unidentified payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Barry Behnken served a 20-year Air Force career that included work as a National Reconnaissance Office program director.
Martin Faga led the National Reconnaissance Office during the George H.W. Bush administration.
Maj. Gen. Michael Guetlein is the deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office.
The National Reconnaissance Office expects a growing demand for commercial geospatial data and analytics.
Rocket Lab was preparing to launch an Electron rocket with three National Reconnaissance Office payloads when New Zealand moved to Level 4 pandemic restrictions in March, forcing postponement of the launch.
Christopher Scolese, Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, will work with the Space Acquisition Council and the U.S. Space Force to ensure the stability of the space sector.
The National Reconnaissance Office's commercial imagery program, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Blackjack program, and the Space Development Agency's planned constellations in low Earth orbit are cited as lucrative opportunities for space startups in the national security market.
Cosmos-2543 reportedly maneuvered in pursuit of USA 245, a classified imaging satellite owned by the National Reconnaissance Office.
Rocket Lab’s first National Reconnaissance Office launch took place in January from the New Zealand launch site.
The Electron mission manifest scheduled for no earlier than 2020-03-27 will carry three unspecified payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office.
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office awarded contracts to multiple commercial imagery providers in 2019 and considered larger procurement contracts to commercial players like Planet and BlackSky in 2020.