EXCLUSIVE: Imagery Industry Seeking Direct DoD Sales In Wake Of Tiny NRO Bid - Breaking Defense

From the article: word on the street is that NRO’s fiscal year 2022 budget for purchasing commercial data has been slashed, along with that of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which buys analytical products from commercial remote sensing firms.

And for that reason, at least some industry execs now say they are pivoting marketing efforts away from the NRO and instead focusing on direct sales to other US national security customers, such as the military services and Combatant Commands — and even foreign governments. This is in part because many commercial remote sensing firms, both in the US and abroad, have been funded by short-term venture capital, and waiting for substantial contracts come to fruition can be a life or death matter.