U.S. space imaging companies are finding new customers in nations that may lack homegrown expertise. The opportunities arise as demand in the U.S. promises to shrink with government streamlining. Here are examples from a June 2025 SpaceNews roundup:
- BlackSky signed nearly $20 million in agreements to support India’s commercial Earth observation efforts. The company specializes in imagery and analytics.
- Virginia-based BlackSky also reached an agreement with Indonesia worth $50 million that’s similar to its deal with India.
- Planet Labs, with a global imaging constellation of more than 200 satellites, signed a $230 million, seven-year agreement with an unnamed Indo-Pacific customer to build high-resolution satellites and provide commercial imagery.
- Planet Labs, headquartered in San Francisco, also reached a seven-figure deal with the German government for use of the company’s geospatial products in environmental monitoring, land-use tracking and socioeconomic research.
- Capella Space, operating cloud-piercing synthetic aperture radar satellites, now counts Japan as its second-largest government customer behind the U.S. and was in talks with the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. The company is based in San Francisco.
SpaceNews reported that in May 2025, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office privately warned industry and government executives that it plans to shrink imagery business by 30%, a $130 million cut.