US Navy seeks commercial satellites for nighttime Earth observation

The U.S. Navy wants commercial satellites that can perform nighttime observation of the Earth, according to a Naval Research Laboratory Request for Information.

“The objective is to understand the availability of systems that can provide data and services related to the remote sensing of nighttime scenes from space to inform potential future collaborations and acquisitions for a technology demonstration,” according to the RFI.

The Navy is looking for space-based sensors on sensor-ready platforms.

“This RFI is focused exclusively on electro-optical (EO) systems,” the service emphasized. Specifically, the Navy is interested in systems that have reached a Technology Readiness Level, or TRL, of 6 or higher. TRL 6 indicates a system that has progressed to the stage of having a functioning prototype.

The spectral response and range of each satellite’s sensors are among the details that the Navy is asking contractors to provide. In addition, companies should specify whether sensors are panchromatic or multispectral, and how many frames per second the imaging systems takes.

The Naval Research Laboratory is also concerned about whether a commercial satellite can perform onboard processing of sensor data.

Not surprisingly given that the Navy is dealing with commercial providers rather than government-owned systems, the Naval Research Laboratory also wants to know how users can submit tasking requests for the satellite, and how long those requests will take to be fulfilled.

“How is the collected data processed and/or exploited (both on-board and on the ground)?” the RFI asked. “How is the final data product disseminated to the end-user, and in what format is it delivered?

Security is also key. In addition to the level of security for data links and the satellite’s onboard systems, contractors must state whether their ground stations are located in the continental United States.

The U.S. government already conducts nighttime Earth observation for civilian purposes, notably the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS, on NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites. These platforms “acquire global daily measurements of nocturnal visible and near-infrared (NIR) light that can be used for Earth system science and applications studies,” according to NASA. The data is used for estimating population, monitoring disasters and understanding the impacts of increased light pollution.

However, nighttime satellite imagery can also be useful to the military and intelligence agencies. For example, VIIRS has detected the wakes left by ships sailing in the North Sea at 2:30 a.m., a capability that could be used for tracking and targeting of warships. That’s because vessels leave “‘ship tracks — narrow clouds brightened by small airborne pollution particles emitted from the vessels,” NASA said. “Water vapor condenses around the tiny particles of pollution to form thin, winding clouds.”

Night imaging from space can also detect lights on the ground that might indicate whether strikes against an adversary’s electrical grid have been successful or, for example, track wildfires that could hamper ground and air operations.

The RFI deadline is Feb. 22.