by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 09, 2025
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has signed an early access agreement for its next-generation Gen-3 satellite system with an existing international Gen-2 customer, expanding support for Ukraine. The agreement upgrades the customer's current services with very high-resolution Gen-3 imagery alongside Gen-2's rapid, low-latency data stream.
"This important contract demonstrates the powerful, comprehensive tip-and-cue utility between our Gen-3 and Gen-2 systems. The two generations of satellites work synergistically as analysts seamlessly combine reliable high-cadence, time-diverse Gen-2 data with the enhanced very high-resolution capabilities of Gen-3," said BlackSky CEO Brian O'Toole.
Integrated via the Spectra platform, customers can merge Gen-2 and Gen-3 data within their operational workflows. This allows persistent monitoring using Gen-2's fast revisit capability, while also enabling responsive Gen-3 tasking to capture emerging tactical events with sharper detail.
"Accelerated international interest in Gen-3 is indicative of our customers' growing confidence and trust in BlackSky's commercial services as an integral part of their daily military and intelligence operations," O'Toole added. "As we integrate more and more Gen-3 satellites into the fleet our early access customers will experience unparalleled reliability and quality of imagery at industry-leading speeds in support of the full range of strategic to tactical ISR operations."
The Gen-3 system builds upon the field-proven capabilities of Gen-2. It delivers 35-centimeter resolution images with rapid revisit times and enhanced object classification for key targets like vehicles, vessels, and aircraft. This upgrade strengthens BlackSky's dynamic monitoring from dawn to dusk across high-interest areas.
With two Gen-3 satellites already in orbit, BlackSky remains on schedule to field a six-satellite Gen-3 constellation by the end of 2025.
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