WASHINGTON — Maxar Intelligence has secured contracts worth $35 million to provide satellite imagery and analytics services to two undisclosed Asia-Pacific governments.
The deals announced Dec. 19 will give these governments access to Maxar’s newly deployed WorldView Legion satellites, which provide high-resolution Earth observation imagery, as well as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from partner company Umbra. SAR technology allows for ground imaging through cloud cover and darkness.
The contracts are part of Maxar’s “direct access program,” which enables customers to directly control satellite tasking through their own ground stations, with the ability to request image captures just 15 minutes before an imaging event and receive data in real-time.
“International governments are making significant investments to shore up their sovereign capabilities,” said Anders Linder, general manager of Maxar’s international government business, noting that the company cannot disclose the specific countries due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence services being provided.
The agreements come at a crucial time for Maxar, following the deployment of its next-generation satellite constellation. Linder said there has been a pent-up demand for commercial geospatial insights and now that WorldView Legion satellites are in operation the company is able to meet that demand.
‘Virtual constellation’
The company has expanded its offerings through partnerships with other satellite operators, including Umbra and recently added Satellogic, creating what it calls a “virtual constellation” of imaging capabilities.
Beyond raw imagery, Maxar provide AI-powered analytics to help customers interpret the data. “Customers don’t want the raw data, and they just want to figure out what the data means,” Linder explained. For instance, when monitoring a military installation, clients receive not only images but also inventories of identified objects, such as aircraft classifications.
The service prioritizes customers based on their contracted satellite capacity, with larger capacity purchases receiving higher priority in the tasking queue.
Linder said an expansion of Maxar’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region is the result of countries increasingly seeking to enhance their surveillance and monitoring capabilities through private sector partnerships.