BlackSky Secures New Data Services Contract with HEO to Automate Non-Earth Imaging

Insider Brief

• BlackSky Technology Inc. has partnered with HEO to enhance automation in non-Earth imaging (NEI) services.
• This deal, valued in the seven-figure range, aims to deliver rapid, low-latency imagery for defense, intelligence, and commercial applications.
• As part of this contract, BlackSky’s satellite constellation will integrate into HEO’s NEI sensor network, expanding its capacity to track objects in orbit and on Earth.
• Customers will benefit from faster tasking and delivery of NEI products, as HEO’s automated platform, HEO Inspect, will manage the scheduling and imaging tasks. Once captured, NEI data will be processed with object detection and pattern-of-life analytics, delivering actionable intelligence to clients.

BlackSky Technology Inc. announced it has partnered with HEO to enhance automation in non-Earth imaging (NEI) services. This deal, valued in the seven-figure range, aims to deliver rapid, low-latency imagery for defense, intelligence, and commercial applications. As part of this contract, BlackSky’s satellite constellation will integrate into HEO’s NEI sensor network, expanding its capacity to track objects in orbit and on Earth.

The collaboration builds on a successful proof-of-concept phase, with the next stage focused on fully automating the tasking-to-delivery process. BlackSky will supply high-resolution imagery from its mid-inclination orbit satellites, improving the capture of NEI data over Earth’s middle latitudes. This integration allows BlackSky to optimize its satellites’ time, particularly when they are not actively imaging Earth, such as during eclipse periods or while over oceans.

By joining HEO’s sensor network, BlackSky will offer real-time insights about spacecraft and other on-orbit objects. Customers will benefit from faster tasking and delivery of NEI products, as HEO’s automated platform, HEO Inspect, will manage the scheduling and imaging tasks. Once captured, NEI data will be processed with object detection and pattern-of-life analytics, delivering actionable intelligence to clients.

This agreement positions both companies to enhance space situational awareness, providing critical data as space becomes increasingly contested. Both BlackSky and HEO emphasize that real-time, automated insights are essential for effective space operations, and this partnership represents a key step forward in making these capabilities more accessible across industries.