NASA has selected eight new companies and will acquire additional data products from six existing holders under its Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program, broadening the range of commercial Earth-observation data available to researchers and decision-makers.
Public-private Earth observation
The awards fall under the CSDA On-Ramp 2 Multiple Award contract, a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity vehicle with an original maximum value of $476 million and a performance period running through November 15, 2028. NASA says leveraging commercial data lets it expand scientific insight while reducing costs and speeding delivery of observations that strengthen disaster response and public safety.
A widening vendor pool
Awardees include Airbus DS Geo, GHGSat, Hydrosat, ICEYE US, ImageSat International, Kuva, Muon Space, Orbital Sidekick, OroraTech, Planet Labs Federal, PlanetiQ, SATLANTIS US, Tomorrow.io and Wyvern. The mix blends established optical and radar operators with newer thermal, hyperspectral and greenhouse-gas monitoring specialists.
Radar and beyond
The inclusion of all-weather synthetic-aperture radar providers like ICEYE — which recently closed a €450M Series F — alongside optical constellations underscores how diverse commercial data has become. It follows a busy stretch in orbit that includes Open Cosmos's Atlantic Constellation, Lockheed Martin's GPS IIIF award and Relativity Space's Mars orbiter contract.
Reporting based on coverage from NASA and Orbital Today.