BlackSky Technology Inc. and Rocket Lab USA, Inc. have entered into an agreement to acquire a block of five launches, aimed at enhancing capacity and introducing novel capabilities to BlackSky’s rapid-revisit, high-resolution satellite constellation.

Brian E. O’Toole, BlackSky CEO, highlighted the escalating demand for their high-frequency, low-latency services. He emphasized the relevance of these capabilities for defense and intelligence clients requiring real-time, on-demand intelligence to support crucial missions. With these planned launches, BlackSky aims to refresh, augment, and extend its on-orbit capacity, introducing Gen-3 capabilities that are vital for addressing time-critical missions. O’Toole underscored the collaboration's success in ensuring agility and responsiveness, aligning with customer needs.

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO, expressed their contentment in continuing the partnership with BlackSky, building on four years of successful launches. Beck stressed the importance of precision deployment to unique orbits and the necessity for a reliable launch schedule to build and maintain a satellite constellation. He reaffirmed Rocket Lab's commitment to delivering tailored and dependable launch capabilities consistently.

BlackSky's forthcoming Gen-3 satellites are engineered to capture images with resolutions of up to 35 centimeters. When combined with BlackSky Spectra, their proprietary AI-driven tasking and analytics platform, this integration empowers customers to detect critical changes swiftly and upon request.

Enhanced resolution and expanded spectral diversity amplify BlackSky’s ability to provide real-time insights across various conditions, including low-light, nighttime, and challenging weather scenarios. The distinctive capability of BlackSky to rapidly capture and disseminate substantial volumes of diverse time-based imagery contributes to increased transparency in observing strategic defense and economic activities that might have otherwise remained unnoticed.

Since 2019, Rocket Lab has effectively launched six Electron missions for BlackSky. The forthcoming launches are anticipated to commence in 2024 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.

Source:blacksky.com