BlackSky expands Gen 3 Assured deals with new defense customer

by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2026

BlackSky Technology Inc. has secured multiple Gen 3 Assured services contracts totaling seven figures with a new international defense customer following an early access period for the capability. The company reports that the expansion agreements signal a rapid shift by the customer toward advanced space-based dynamic monitoring as they scale to support time-sensitive tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

BlackSky said the contracts give the defense customer guaranteed, priority access to Gen 3 imaging capacity over designated operational areas of interest. Chief executive Brian O'Toole noted that the performance of the system during early access played a critical role in the customer's decision to move into renewed and expanded subscriptions.

"This partnership reflects continued traction against our land-and-expand strategy and demonstrates the growing recognition that dynamic space-based intelligence is no longer optional - it's essential," O'Toole said. "Assured gives our customers guaranteed, priority access to Gen-3 capacity over their operational areas of interest. The quality and reliability of collections experienced during Assured early access programs play a key factor in compelling customers to renew their subscriptions."

According to BlackSky, the new deals contribute to the company's broader international expansion as more defense and intelligence users seek agile, responsive space-based intelligence services. The firm's dynamic monitoring platform is designed to provide multiple revisits per day, on-demand tasking and very high resolution imagery that can be integrated securely into existing classified and unclassified intelligence workflows.

The company said its defense and intelligence customers operate in environments where threats evolve in real time and require intelligence systems that can keep pace with that operational tempo. O'Toole stated that the Gen 3 Assured service is intended to deliver persistent monitoring, tasking flexibility and rapid response to support modern defense and intelligence organizations working in a fluid geopolitical landscape.

BlackSky describes its Gen 3 satellites and services as enabling automated detection, identification and classification of a wide range of aircraft, vehicles, vessels and other tactically relevant objects at machine speed. The advanced capabilities and performance of Gen 3 are targeted at both tactical ISR missions and higher level strategic intelligence operations.

Dedicated access to Gen 3 capacity is enabled through BlackSky's fully automated, end to end commercial architecture that connects its low Earth orbit satellite constellation, ground systems and Spectra tasking and analytics platform. The company said this architecture is designed to deliver real time situational awareness at mission speed and scale for government and commercial users.

BlackSky positions itself as a real time, space based intelligence provider offering on demand, high frequency imagery, analytics and monitoring of critical locations, economic assets and global events. The company owns and operates a proprietary low Earth orbit constellation and the BlackSky Spectra software platform, which together form what it describes as a purpose built commercial real time intelligence system.

The firm is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BKSY. BlackSky notes that it counts demanding U.S. and international government agencies, commercial businesses and other organizations among its customers for space based intelligence services.