China, United States
US prepares Earth Observation operators to compete with China

Israel, United States
Hamas attack in Gaza puts US imagery rules to the test

Recent conflicts, especially Ukraine, have accustomed consumers to a drumbeat of precise spatial imagery. But the Hamas offensive reasserts the particular nature of Israeli territory in US law.

United States
Behind competition with China, SilentBarker spy satellite reveals rivalries between US agencies

The US agency responsible for satellite observation, the NRO, was uncharacteristically vocal about the recent launch of its first SilentBarker geostationary space surveillance system. Its communication campaign pits it against China and Russia... but also its partners at Space Force.

United States
Operators break silence on observation satellite wipe outs

Operators are starting to have to publicly address the damaging impact of solar flair activity on their observation satellites, an issue that Intelligence Online revealed in June. A financial headache is set to follow that flurry of solar storms.

Australia, India, Japan, United States
Quad's China maritime surveillance projects get off to shaky start

Japan and Australia have been the most responsive in implementing a common Indo-Pacific satellite maritime surveillance system for the Quad Indo-Pacific intelligence partnership, but national differences in capacity are hampering integration.

The Tech Times
Cobwebs/Spire Capital, Kleos Space, AFRL's ISR sensor, Resecurity in Dubai, Wide Int

From SIGINT to GEOINT and OSINT and a dose of cyber, each week we report on events both big and small that matter in the community of technical intelligence providers.

Herzliya/New York Now part of Spire Capital, Cobwebs looks to US market

Luxembourg Kleos loses head of innovation

Rome/New York AFRL updates ISR sensors for Skyborg drones

Dubai US threat intel firm Resecurity uses SAT seller to set up home

Paris Deveryware successor Wide Int sorts out its new line-up

Spotlight | China
China's new satellite imagery catalogue reveals geographical limits and technical improvements

Intelligence Online has seen the latest catalogue of Chinese commercial imagery from the country's observation satellites, and it reveals some of the progress that its satellite imagery has made, yet also its limitations.

Europe, Finland, United States
Finland takes lead in European strategic space industry

Having abandoned its neutrality in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine, Finland is making its mark in intelligence and space technology. After the rise to prominence of ICEYE, a second Finnish geospatial intelligence company, Kuva Space, is entering orbit.

Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa
BRICS constellation caught between technical deficiencies and an impossible political balancing act

The BRICS countries' vast earth observation cooperation programme is intended to be a counterweight to the US' big plans for the QUAD alliance. Although it is politically attractive, close analysis of the capacities so far put in the common pot show intrinsic weaknesses and an inevitable over-dependence on Chinese sensing devices.

Spotlight | China
China plays catch-up on radar imaging at lightning speed

Beijing is making rapid gains in earth observation using radar imaging, driven by a goal to be the global leader in the field, and it's doing so with a tight interweaving of public and private players.

Europe, France, Japan, South Korea
Tokyo and Seoul go all in for Airbus imagery

With Maxar taking control of the US market, Japanese and South Korean government agencies are increasingly relying on the European group Airbus for their imaging needs.

United States
David Gauthier drives US geospatial intelligence's economic shift

The new US intelligence budget under discussion in the Senate supports Gauthier's goals to better orientate the NGA towards the private sector in the name of making it more competitive on the global market.