Overview
- DIU’s GHOST-R solicitation, published Feb. 17, invites industry bids for commercially built GEO imaging satellites, with proposals due March 3.
- Vendors must deliver within 24 months a high-resolution electro‑optical image of a roughly 700‑kilogram GEO satellite taken from no closer than 10 kilometers using a commercial spacecraft.
- Within 36 months, systems must transition to government ownership and operations, then by month 48 demonstrate at least one weekly pass on target spacecraft, including uncooperative objects.
- Satellites must meet Defense Department cybersecurity requirements, be designed for a three‑year life, and show bus and payload space heritage by 2028.
- Bidders must present a 10‑year plan to scale to a constellation achieving a 30‑day revisit for all GEO objects in the Space‑Track catalog while reducing costs relative to programs like GSSAP and planned RG‑XX.