The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency plans to spend tens of millions of dollars studying ways to use data from emerging startups that are deploying constellations of small imaging satellites. NGA Director Robert Cardillo said during a Nov. 16 press conference that the intelligence agency would request funding for the program as part of its fiscal year 2017 budget request, now being finalized. Because the 2017 budget has yet been presented to Congress by the White House, and NGA spending in any case is classified, specific dollar amounts for the program are not available. But Cardillo said it was safe to assume it was tens of millions of dollars. "We have moved real money," he said. Some of the money in the fiscal year 2017 budget request would go to In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the U.S. intelligence community, Cardillo said. In-Q-Tel has provided seed money for several space-related startups in recent years, officials with the organization say.
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