Blacksky Geospatial Solutions, LLC

Blacksky Geospatial Solutions, LLC, a small business subsidiary of Blacksky Holdings Inc., delivers satellite electro-optical imagery, geospatial intelligence, moving-target engagement, and space-based optical systems for national security missions primarily to Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Information Systems Agency as a prime contractor on both definitive contracts and indefinite-delivery vehicles, with secondary subcontract engagement on defense autonomy and remote imaging systems programs.

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, Blacksky operates as a for-profit corporation and competes in full-and-open procurements without set-aside designation on its largest vehicles, though it holds multiple Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II and Phase III contracts under total small business set-asides. Concrete capability framing centers on space-based Earth observation, satellite imagery analytics, moving-target detection and engagement, optical inter-satellite link design, and machine-learning data fusion through its Spectra AI software-as-a-service platform. Representative work includes a $46.89 million definitive contract from Air Force Research Laboratory awarded March 15, 2024, for Blacksky Global Moving Target Engagement capabilities; a $9.273 million delivery order from AFRL issued March 6, 2026, for segmented large optical imager design and risk assessment under a $99 million single-award Large Space Optics Ground Testbed indefinite-delivery contract running through March 5, 2032; and a $1.836 million SBIR Phase II award from Naval Sea Systems Command issued September 18, 2024, for Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS High) research supporting a Major Defense Acquisition Program.

Customer concentration is extreme and tilted toward space-focused defense research. The top five funding agencies account for 75% of award count and 100% of combined potential value across all awards. Air Force Research Laboratory dominates both dimensions — 22 awards worth $13.18 billion in combined potential value — anchored by the $13 billion Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services indefinite-delivery contract awarded by the Defense Information Systems Agency on July 18, 2023, and reissued as a replacement vehicle on July 15, 2025, with identical ceiling. NASA Headquarters ranks second by potential value with five awards totaling $477.9 million, led by the $476 million Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) multiple-award IDIQ awarded September 18, 2024, for earth observation data and services acquisition from commercial small satellite sources. The Office of the Secretary of Defense contributes a $249 million Basic Ordering Agreement for AI data readiness support to the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. Department of the Navy Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Army, and the Defense Intelligence Agency round out the customer roster with smaller engagement. AFRL's commanding share of dollars versus more distributed award count across other agencies signals heavy reliance on a small number of high-ceiling vehicles within a narrow customer base.

Vehicle position centers on two government-wide indefinite-delivery contracts of extraordinary scale. Blacksky holds a seat on the $13 billion DISA PLEO Satellite-Based Services IDC (reissued July 15, 2025, through July 17, 2028) for emerging commercial low-latency proliferated low Earth orbit capabilities, with one initial task order valued at $2,000 (minimum guarantee) issued July 18, 2023, and a second task order for $2,000 issued July 18, 2023, signaling active but low-volume ordering activity to date. Blacksky also holds a prime position on the $476 million NASA CSDA multiple-award IDIQ (effective September 18, 2024, through November 15, 2028) covering satellite electro-optical imagery data products and metadata delivery, with two task orders totaling $178.625 million in ceiling value — one awarded November 25, 2025, for disaster response satellite data and one awarded September 18, 2024, for metadata archival delivery at $500. A single-award $99 million Large Space Optics Ground Testbed indefinite-delivery contract from AFRL (March 6, 2026, through March 5, 2032) provides optical systems development authority with one delivery order active. The disparity between vehicle ceilings (particularly the $13 billion PLEO contract) and actual obligated dollars ($65.1 million, or 0.2% of combined potential value) reflects early-stage ordering or placeholder award positioning.

Activity trajectory shows year-over-year growth through 2024, with seven awards in 2022, six in 2023, and fourteen in 2024, followed by a decline to seven awards in 2025 and four in 2026. Six awards with combined potential value of $8.7 million reach ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months, representing moderate recompete exposure relative to the massive ceiling values on the two primary IDIQ vehicles. Blacksky's obligations to date ($65.1 million) suggest task orders against these IDIQs have been sparse or recent, creating potential cliff risk if AFRL and DISA do not sustain order volume on renewal or continuation vehicles.

Blacksky subcontracts to Applied Research Solutions, Inc., on multiple Mission Autonomy for Air and Space Systems (MASS) research and development tasks spanning 2024 through early 2026, and to Vantor Services Inc., on Remote Ground Terminal (RGT) services supporting Maxar Factory systems and remote image operations for Army Geospatial Center end-users under cost-plus-fixed-fee terms. Two additional subcontracts to Kratos S2, Inc., in 2022 covered SBIR Phase III labor, travel, and tools on the COSMIC AES effort. These secondary engagements position Blacksky as a data-processing and autonomy sub to larger defense systems integrators rather than as a primary defense IT or infrastructure prime.

The corporate structure identifies Blacksky Holdings Inc. as the parent entity; Blacksky Geospatial Solutions, LLC operates as a wholly owned subsidiary focused on federal space-based intelligence and satellite operations. The subsidiary designation alongside the "small business" framing across all contracts suggests the subsidiary itself holds small business status independently, though this is not explicitly confirmed in the source.