Umbra selected for NRO’s Strategic Commercial Enhancements Stage III (Image Credit: Sat News)
Umbra has been awarded the Stage III option of the National Reconnaissance Office‘s (NRO) Commercial Radar Capabilities contract — this contract, part of the NRO’s Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) initiative, evaluates and leverages innovative commercial ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) solutions to strengthen the U.S. Government’s overhead intelligence architecture.
Building on the success of Stage II, Stage III emphasizes scaling SAR data delivery to the U.S. Government to meet critical needs such as disaster response, environmental monitoring, and crisis management. Umbra’s advancement follows the successful validation of its on-orbit performance and mission utility in earlier stages, positioning the company to further integrate domestic SAR capabilities into the wider U.S. Government’s ISR framework.
Umbra’s SAR satellites collect up to five times more data than other providers, offering unprecedented value through both quantity and affordability.
“Advancing to Stage III marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of Umbra’s SAR capabilities,” said Omar Wheatley, Director, Strategic Programs. “We’re excited to deepen our collaboration with the NRO and continue delivering our industry-leading high-quality SAR data that strengthens the nation’s intelligence and defense capabilities.”
“As a fully American company,we’re proud to maximize taxpayer value by delivering the most data and the best data to the NRO at the lowest cost,” said David Langan, CEO of Umbra.
Umbra has a long-standing relationship with the NRO, having previously been selected for the Stage II option of its Commercial Radar Capabilities contract in late 2022, and a second Stage II option under the Commercial RF Capabilities focus area in early 2024. Earlier this month, the 2024 Commercial Remote Sensing Global Rankings named Umbra first in SAR data quality worldwide and second in SAR persistence.
Since its establishment in 2015,Umbra has emerged as a leader in remote sensing, offering breakthrough SAR imaging technology and patented satellite solutions that provide all-weather, day-and-night monitoring. Umbra continues to set new standards in reliability, precision, and intelligence gathering,helping government and commercial customers alike achieve mission success.
About UmbraUmbra is a vertically integrated space technology company providing satellite technologysolutions and intelligence data as a service to commercial and government customers. Ourcutting-edge products help customers solve complex business, environmental, and securitychallenges. Umbra is founded, funded, built and operated in the USA with headquarters in Santa Barbara, California, and has a presence in Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C.