Weekly GEOINT Community News

Dr. Stacey Dixon of NGA nominated by the President as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, NRO to sign deals with commercial providers of satellite radar imagery, and more.

TrajMagARDS-Drone-lead_sized

Congratulations USGIF Board Member, Stacey Dixon

Dr. Stacey Dixon of NGA has been nominated by President Joseph Biden as the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

USGIF is proud to have Dr. Dixon serve as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors as well as a speaker at many events.

NRO to sign deals with commercial providers of satellite radar imagery

The National Reconnaissance Office plans to sign new deals with commercial providers of satellite radar imagery as the agency looks to better understand the capabilities of the private sector.

Satellite imagery known as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is now offered by a growing number of commercial companies, a trend that has drawn the attention of U.S. national security agencies.

“One of the things that we are moving out on is the potential to purchase commercial radar imagery,” said Pete Muend, director of the NRO’s Commercial Systems Program Office.

The Raytheon Silent Intelligence Finder

Military aviators call it electronic intelligence, or ELINT; it’s the practice of gathering information about adversary radars – where they are, what type of signal they emit – to avoid or defeat them.

Raytheon Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of Raytheon Intelligence & Space, has developed a digital, passive ELINT sensor called Advanced Radar Detection System, or ARDS, that can detect radar emissions on the ground – without itself emitting any signal and remaining undetected.

Northrop Grumman Designs Protected Tactical SATCOM Payload Prototype for the Space Force

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by the U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) to proceed with its ongoing Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) Rapid Prototype program, with a flight demonstration of the company’s PTS payload set to occur in 2024.

Selected for the initial award through the Space Enterprise Consortium, this continuation enables Northrop Grumman to proceed with the completion of the detailed design, manufacturing and testing of the payload. The company will also integrate its payload onto a host space vehicle and conduct its on-orbit demonstration.

Image Caption: The Advanced Radar Detection System, or ARDS, flies on an MQ-9 Predator drone during a 2019 test of the system. (Image courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., all rights reserved)

Posted in: Monday News Kickoffs   Tagged in: 

Weekly GEOINT Community News

Orbital Sidekick Announces Upcoming Launch of Its Most Powerful Satellite, HERE announces mobile LiDAR data, Kitware Provides State-of-the-Art, Field-Deployable AI, and more.

Weekly GEOINT Community News

Accenture Federal Services to Acquire Novetta, Woolpert Collecting Imagery and Lidar, Providing Technical Support in Alaska for USAF GeoBase Program, and more.

Weekly GEOINT Community News

NGA accepts new geospatial tech companies applicants for cohort, BAE Systems awarded contract for GPS modules, Woolpert and Planet expand partnership, and more.