WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Defense's National Reconnaissance Office announced that the agency has selected Umbra, a vertically integrated space technology company in Santa Barbara, Calif. for the Stage II option of its commercial RF capabilities contract under the Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) effort. The Commercial Systems Program Office (CSPO) leads the Strategic Commercial Enhancements effort which was established for the NRO to evaluate, leverage, and integrate new and emerging commercial ISR capabilities and phenomenologies.
Umbra has two SCE contracts with the NRO and was previously selected for the Stage II option of its SCE Commercial Radar Capabilities contract in late 2022. The purpose of Stage II is to deliver RF products to validate on-orbit performance as well as assess mission utility and integration of U.S. domestic commercial RF capabilities into the wider U.S. Government architecture.
"Supporting U.S. national security has always been a core tenet of Umbra's mission and we are thrilled to be included in the NRO's continued pivot towards a hybrid overhead architecture. We deeply believe that the current and emerging American companies in the commercial ISR space are already making a meaningful contribution to the U.S.' missions across all government sectors," said Omar Wheatley, Director, Strategic Programs.
Related: NRO selects Firefly Aerospace as a commercial launch partner
With the ability to capture images at night, through cloud cover, smoke, and rain, SAR satellites are indispensable for monitoring change. Umbra offers the high quality SAR data at large volumes and area density, enabling the US government, its allies, and commercial partners with actionable, all-weather insights.
