Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)

We Are Better Together

Our Commercial Innovation Center (CIC) is a first-of-its-kind, online development and test platform that provides a secure, virtual, open ecosystem and test sandbox for developers and researchers. We do it by harnessing the combined powers of commercial remote sensing, unclassified open datasets, cloud technologies, in a secure development ecosystem fueled by new, emerging, and seasoned tools, services and data to create solutions that keep our nation safe. The Riverside Research CIC is the place where commercial subject matter experts come together securely to collaborate and create the best commercial solutions to real world scenarios before they're integrated and deployed in the field.

Together, we win

It’s not as much fun to play in the sandbox by yourself, right? We know from experience that it’s the collective work of many people with diverse experiences and backgrounds that create the most effective solutions. By design, the CIC encourages partnerships, increases data accessibility, integrates app development, and facilitates the creation of transition-ready prototypes. Because of our unique position as a nonprofit in the defense space, we can provide the neutral environment where collaborative innovation thrives. As demonstrated on this video, capitalizing on all commercial sensors available improves our progress towards persistent observation.

Access to rich datasets

Data is the one thing that is guaranteed to continuously grow and change. Technology entrepreneurs’ success revolves around access to these data and developing improved AI and machine learning tools creating integrated and advanced applications for businesses in support of (United States Government) USG needs.

Capella Space Active RF
Capella Space Active RF
the CIC encourages partnerships, increases data accessibility, integrates app development, and facilitates the creation of transition-ready prototypes
the CIC encourages partnerships, increases data accessibility, integrates app development, and facilitates the creation of transition-ready prototypes

Advanced tools and applications

Technology innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented and virtual reality present significant entrepreneurial opportunities, yet all require geospatial data for development. Early-stage entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and innovators will now have access to the large datasets that are traditionally only available to large, established industry players. Such datasets are often too costly for early-stage entrepreneurs and researchers to acquire, and even if the datasets are made available, they are often not packaged in a manner that allows innovators to work with the data—they are overwhelmingly unwieldy and non-standardized. The CIC data environment seeks to solve that problem, allowing researchers and entrepreneurs new opportunities for experimentation, testing, and training.

The CIC pairs this data with tools and services to streamline development timelines by ensuring flexible licenses are available for your R&D activities within the CIC ecosystem. As new tools and services become available, we negotiate with the vendors for early and shared access amongst our CIC participants to the latest and greatest capabilities from established vendors in the remote sensing market. This visual shows a few or our early integrators, and as new vendors are integrated, we’ll let the community know!

CIC Data Search and Discovery
CIC Data Search and Discovery

Your all-access pass

The CIC supports and enables industry, scientific, academic, and governmental R&D activities by facilitating access to commercial remote sensing data. Riverside Research integrates the hardware, software, processes, data, tools, internet accesses, demonstration capabilities, and other IT infrastructure required to execute CIC participant SIBR projects and meet R&D objectives. Our CIC offers:

  • Exposure to diverse and emerging data and data types for more data scientists
  • Increased interaction between content providers and new application developers; enables cloud-hybrid, multi-INT applications
  • Lowered entry barriers by eliminating the need for a user-developed system
  • Integrated orchestration-to-analysis workflow
  • Timely teaming, technology, and tipping
  • Accelerated access and use of commercial remote sensing solutions and innovation
Right where you want it

Right where you want it

Are you looking for a cloud-hosting environment where you can easily access commercial data for development and test—all from one place to safely develop, load, and test capabilities?

Our trusted, unclassified, virtual development platform provides access to R&D-licensed commercial remote sensing phenomenologies (e.g., EO, radar, IR, RF), connects emerging and established vendors with shared application tools and services, and facilitates GEOINT, MASINT, and Multi-INT research and development. The CIC includes:

  • An ecosystem of commercial data providers (CDPs)
  • A network of application developers
  • Common R&D data and COTS/GOTS tools (e.g., loading, discovery)
  • Common testing data (curated, tagged)
  • Robust DevOps environment
  • Hybrid cloud-ready infrastructure
  • Protected intellectual property and data rights
  • Maturing secure data fabric
CIC mission, vision & values

CIC mission, vision & values

Mission: Provide data scientists and algorithm developers with a virtual development and test platform and access to new and diverse commercial remote sensing data to develop algorithms, tools, and services.

Vision: Work in the Nation’s interest to offer proven expertise and experience in commercial remote sensing to solve problems through innovation, agility, and creative thinking.

Values: Encourage partnerships and connect emerging and established users across USG and industry with shared application tools, services, and diverse commercial constellation data.

Participant Agreements: We offer access to a secure, virtual, cloud-based ecosystem to perform R&D using existing and emerging commercial sources to develop and test algorithms, tools, and services accelerating USG objectives.

Commercial Experts: We offer our commercial experience, data scientists, and phenomenology experts to support efforts using the CIC to perform commercial utility assessments, new sensor development, synthetic data V&V, data value/usability studies, and more.

Products and Services: We offer access to CIC-based products and services such as synthetic data generation, data tagging, AI/ML V&V, data compression, data geo-registration, and more.

Work With the Commercial Innovation Center
Press Inquiries About the CIC

Commercial Innovation in the News

  • Commercial Imagery
  • Satellite Launches
  • EO-MSI
  • SAR
  • HSI
  • RF
  • SSA
Commercial Imagery
Archaeologists identify forgotten city of Alexandria on the Tigris in southern Iraq

Satellite imagery also reveals canals north of the city, linked to large agricultural fields which would have supported a substantial population.

Feb 3,2026
VIDEO: Iran receives first imagery from Paya satellite - Mehr News Agency

TEHRAN, Feb. 03 (MNA) – The first images of the Iranian Paya satellite (Tolu 2) were released on Tuesday during a ceremony marking the National ...

Feb 3,2026
Mapping strikes on Ukraine energy plants and what's happening with Iran's internet? - BBC

... satellite imagery. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de-facto leader of Sudan's military-led government, announced the ending of the siege ...

Feb 3,2026
SpaceX acquires xAI in record-setting deal as Musk looks to unify AI and space ambitions | Reuters

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial-intelligence ... satellite company with the maker of the Grok chatbot ...

Feb 3,2026
Iran: Satellite Images Show Repairs At Nuclear Sites Amid US Talks | Firstpost Live

Satellite imagery shows damage and limited repairs at Iranian nuclear sites previously struck by the US in June 2025. Tehran says its nuclear ...

Feb 3,2026
Southern Deep Freeze Creates Mesmerizing “Cloud Streets” - NESDIS - NOAA

The satellite's high-resolution imagery provides optimal viewing of hazardous weather, including severe weather, winter storms, tropical storms and ...

Feb 3,2026
Muon Space Accelerates Into a Pivotal Year of Government and Commercial Mission Execution

These building blocks serve missions across defense, civil, and commercial domains – maritime intelligence ... The initial satellite in FireSat's ...

Feb 3,2026
How & Why SpaceX is Moving the AI Data Center Race to Space - February 3, 2026

AI and space synergies have several important uses in national security, such as satellite imagery (analyzed with AI) and government satellite ...

Feb 3,2026
Satellite imagery shows where the U.S. military is positioned near Iran - The Washington Post

Iran has deployed drones over this same area in recent days, according to flight tracking data. Satellite imagery taken on Friday showed what analysts ...

Feb 3,2026
India–China | Rezang La (October 2020) satellite image showing tanks from both sides ... - Reddit

India–China | Rezang La (October 2020) satellite image showing tanks from both sides positioned ~110 meters apart at the peak of the border crisis. [ ...

Feb 3,2026
Invest 94W Poised to Become Tropical Cyclone

Infrared satellite imagery from Himawari-9's Advanced Himawai Imager reveals a largely asymmetric circulation between Palau and the Micronesian island ...

Feb 3,2026
Israel prepares new space 'surprises' for Iran war | The Jerusalem Post

The electro-optical reconnaissance satellite with advanced capabilities is also a feat of engineering, would be a gem of intelligence should it be ...

Feb 3,2026
Commercial Satellite Imaging Market 2025-2033 Segmentation, Applications ... - Taiwan News

Commercial Satellite Imaging Market 2025-2033 Segmentation, Applications, Consumption Trends, and Revenue Forecast. Report Ocean Feb. 3, 2026 05:29.

Feb 3,2026
Israeli weather satellite co Tomorrow.io raises $175m - Globes English - גלובס

The funds will be used to speed up deployment of DeepSky, an AI-native weather satellite constellation ... intelligence platform, allowing unprecedented ...

Feb 3,2026
“The shot is on target”: new investigation into the international crime that killed journalists ... - RSF

SIRAJ and RSF located satellite imagery from the time showing field guns — identified by several sources as Soviet‑made M‑46 howitzers — in firing ...

Feb 3,2026
Classifying land use within 80,000 mining sites on a global scale | Scientific Data - Nature

Tang, L. & Werner, T. T. Global mining footprint mapped from high-resolution satellite imagery. Commun. Earth Environ. 4, 1–12, https://doi.org/ ...

Feb 3,2026
Elon Musk fuses SpaceX with xAI - Scientific American

Acquiring xAI could boost SpaceX's plans to launch a one-million-strong satellite constellation to act as an orbital data center network.

Feb 3,2026
Viasat Unveils Government UAV Satellite Services Portfolio - ExecutiveBiz

Viasat launched VuaLe satellite services portfolio to support government UAVs missions with secure L-band connectivity and lightweight terminals.

Feb 3,2026
Agreement signed to establish ground station for satellite images - Oman Observer

... satellite imagery, primarily focused on ocean monitoring. The signing ... Satellite Image Receiving Ground Station, spoke about the station ...

Feb 3,2026
Singapore to set up national space agency to build and operate space capabilities

... satellite tasking — including requests for satellite imagery of specific locations — and geospatial data analytics, Tan said at the opening of the ...

Feb 3,2026
Satellite Launches
Why did SpaceX just apply to launch 1 million satellites? | New Scientist

SpaceX says it wants to deploy an astronomical number of data centres in orbit to supply power for artificial intelligence, but the proposal might ...

Feb 3,2026
Telespazio and Italian Space Agency to Upgrade Historic Fucino Antenna - Via Satellite

Imagery and Sensing LiveEO to Launch New Constellation Focused on Critical Infrastructure ... satellites (ESTRACK), as well as communications ...

Feb 3,2026
NASA fuels up giant Artemis 2 moon rocket. Yes, it's a little leaky. So is it ready to fly? | Space

... images. Four people in orange spacesuits stand on a road. 'I ... launch sends SpaceX Starlink satellites into Earth orbit from California (video).

Feb 3,2026
SpaceX experiences upper stage mishap during California Starlink launch - Florida Today

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket experienced a malfunction during a Starlink satellite launch from California. · The malfunction occurred in the rocket's ...

Feb 3,2026
Southern Deep Freeze Creates Mesmerizing “Cloud Streets” - NESDIS - NOAA

In the satellite imagery above, a gap of clear skies is visible between ... NOAA Launches Wildfire Data Portal, Expanding Public Access to Satellite ...

Feb 3,2026
ESA - Moving satellites to meet a plane for rare reentry data - European Space Agency

... Images. About ESA. The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's ... Journalists wishing to participate in either or both the pre-launch and launch ...

Feb 3,2026
NASA Launches “Space to Soil” Challenge to Pioneer Onboard AI for Earth Observation

Shifting from “Images” to “Answers”. Historically, Earth observation satellites have operated as passive collectors, downlinking massive raw data ...

Feb 3,2026
Singapore launches three new space projects to test and validate new technologies

Images captured by the satellite will be analyzed on board using small AI models and an edge engine, reducing the need to transmit large volumes ...

Feb 3,2026
SpaceX acquires xAI in a bid to make orbiting data centers a reality - Tom's Hardware

... launch a million satellites into orbit. These orbital data centers ... satellite imagery suggests — despite claims, site only has 350 megawatts of ...

Feb 3,2026
Cracking Antarctic Sea Ice - NASA Science

Though natural breaks in sea ice are called leads, the better term for the human-made fracture seen in these satellite images is a ship channel.

Feb 3,2026
Elon Musk fuses SpaceX with xAI - Scientific American

Acquiring xAI could boost SpaceX's plans to launch a one-million-strong satellite constellation to act as an orbital data center.

Feb 3,2026
SpaceX and Tesla are sounding very similar these days - Sherwood News

... launch (Brandon Bell/Getty Images). SpaceX and Tesla are sounding ... Cheap launch unlocks satellites. Cheap power and compute unlock better ...

Feb 3,2026
Italian Space Agency and Telespazio to enhance satellite communications beyond Earth orbit

On February 3, 2026, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Telespazio (a Leonardo Group company) signed a strategic agreement to launch the RESPONSE ...

Feb 3,2026
Mauritius Set to Launch Its Second Satellite as Early as Q1 2026 - Space in Africa

One case scenario demonstrated the use of high-resolution satellite imagery (15cm) for beach monitoring along Mauritius's coast. Beyond showcasing ...

Feb 3,2026
NASA delays Artemis II moon launch after issues during rehearsal - Yahoo

Stunning satellite images show the Great Lakes rapidly freezing over after brutal cold snap. MLive.com. Additionally, engineers will investigate ...

Feb 3,2026
Egypt's drone deployment to border raises stakes in Sudan's civil war | Reuters

Satellite images from Vantor, a U.S. space technology firm, show a ... EuropecategoryUK privacy watchdog launches investigation into Grok. 12 ...

Feb 3,2026
NASA delays Artemis II moon rocket mission as 'rare arctic outbreak' pushes as far south as Florida

The mission launches three satellites designed to improve space weather forecasting. ... Artist NASA. ((Photo by Heritage Space/Heritage Images via ...

Feb 3,2026
Algeria launches second satellite in 2026 - Connecting Africa

Launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch ... Both satellites are designed to provide high‑resolution Earth observation imagery, enhancing Algeria's ...

Feb 3,2026
Iran's Most Strategic Space Launch Site Poised for First Mission - WANA News

Paya was launched into orbit in early January together with two other Earth-observation satellites, “Kosar” and “Zafar.” He said Paya's imaging ...

Feb 3,2026
Muon Space Accelerates Into a Pivotal Year of Government and Commercial Mission Execution

... imagery in 2025, validating on-orbit performance and mission readiness; Hydrosat's VanZyl-2 satellite launched in 2025 ... satellites per year ...

Feb 3,2026
EO-MSI
2 Top Space Stocks to Buy Right Now - Finviz

... satellite constellation. That contract -- its largest to date -- will ... BlackSky Awarded Gen-3 Assured Services Contracts Totaling Seven ...

Feb 3,2026
BlackSky Technology Shares Rise on International Defense Contracts - MarketWatch

The stock rose 8.3% to $23.18 on Tuesday. Shares have gained 23% over the past three months. The Herndon, Va., satellite technology company said it ...

Feb 3,2026
What's Going On With BlackSky Technology Stock? - Benzinga

BlackSky Technology shares jumped Tuesday after securing multiple Gen ... BlackSky's advanced satellite capabilities. Overall, the multiple ...

Feb 3,2026
BlackSky stock jumps after securing multi-figure contracts with defense client - Investing.com

The company's Gen-3 technology offers customers guaranteed, priority access to satellite capacity over specific operational areas of interest.

Feb 3,2026
Israel prepares new space 'surprises' for Iran war | The Jerusalem Post

The Israeli satellite constellation ... Systems such as Starlink and Maxar demonstrated how commercial platforms can shape battlefield outcomes.

Feb 3,2026
BlackSky awarded Gen-3 assured services contracts totalling seven figures with new ...

BlackSky awarded Gen-3 assured services contracts totalling seven ... Satellite Evolution Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DS Air Limited.

Feb 3,2026
BlackSky (BKSY) Secures Significant Gen-3 Contracts with New Def - GuruFocus

The company operates a low earth orbit satellite constellation, providing real-time geospatial intelligence. ... Its Spectra AI software platform ...

Feb 3,2026
BlackSky wins seven-figure Gen-3 Assured contracts with new international defense ...

BlackSky said it was awarded multiple Gen-3 Assured services ... BlackSky, Gen-3, Intelligence, satellite, space. Related news & articles.

Feb 3,2026
BlackSky Awarded Gen-3 Assured Services Contracts Totaling Seven Figures with New ...

... satellite constellation. Story Continues. With BlackSky, customers ... BlackSky's Investor Relations website at https://ir.blacksky.com. View ...

Feb 3,2026
Look Up: Here's How Many Starlink Satellites Are Flying Over You Right Now. And It's Just ...

We dove into the data to visualize what the mega-constellation looks ... On top of this, SpaceX also plans to operate another 15,000-satellite ...

Feb 3,2026
HawkEye 360 Taps Hale for Space Weather Forecasts

HawkEye 360 announced a five-year deal to use Hale's forecasts and atmospheric density predictions to inform its satellite deployment plans.

Feb 3,2026
Satellite Data Services Market 2025-2033 Segmentation, Applications, Consumption Trends ...

Maxar Technologies; Planet Labs Inc. Satellite Imaging Corporation; SpecTIR LLC; Trimble Inc. Ursa Space Systems Inc. Global Collaboration. The ...

Feb 3,2026
On-Orbit Satellite Servicing Market Share to Reach $9.0 Billion by 2032 - openPR.com

The key players profiled in the on-orbit satellite servicing market report include Maxar Technologies; Astroscales Holdings Inc.; Thales Alenia ...

Feb 3,2026
Viasat Launches Dedicated Satellite Service Portfolio for Government UAV Operations

(NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced its next-generation satellite ... Neo Next Satellite Will Be Launched Early ...

Feb 3,2026
The Iran question Washington keeps postponing, and Israel can't afford to ignore

... SATELLITE IMAGE MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES / AFP, Getmilitaryphotos/shutterstock, REUTERS. The Iran question Washington keeps postponing, and Israel can't ...

Feb 3,2026
Advanced GEOINT: Satellite Imagery for Investigations

... Maxar) or Planet. 🛠️ 3. Applied methodology: step-by-step practical implementation. 3.1. Required tools & setup. Google Earth Pro (Desktop) ...

Feb 3,2026
LM Awarded $328.5M Contract to Deliver Legion-ES Systems - ASDNews

... Legion-ES® sensor systems. This contract supports the recent U.S. ... Satellite Reaches Orbit, Strengthening Warfighter Connectivity. Jan 28 ...

Feb 3,2026
Commercial Satellite Imaging Market 2025-2033 Segmentation, Applications ... - Taiwan News

BlackSky Global LLC; European Space Imaging; Galileo Group Inc. Harris Corporation; ImageSat International N.V.; Maxar Technologies Inc. Planet Labs ...

Feb 3,2026
First launch of Ariane 6 with four boosters - AeroMorning.com

Flight VA267 will see Ariane 6 take 32 satellites for Amazon's Leo constellation to low-Earth orbit. This will be the sixth flight for Ariane 6, and ...

Feb 3,2026
ST Engineering unveils next phase of space programme - SatellitePro ME

... Constellation by 2030, with the first satellite expected to enter orbit in 2027. ... HEO takes ownership of in-orbit satellite in Satellogic deal · CRA ...

Feb 3,2026
SAR
Bolivia drives digital opening with the arrival of Starlink - BNamericas

Fixed broadband Satellite Networks Satellite broadband Mobile broadband Fiber ... Paz in a message on the social network X. Paz indicated that ...

Feb 3,2026
SpaceX to launch free space situational awareness system - Unmanned airspace

Stargaze's screening data will be made available to the broader satellite operator community free of charge in the coming weeks. The system uses data ...

Feb 3,2026
PSLV failures: Ajit Doval visits VSSC, holds meeting with Director - The Hindu

... EOS-09 satellite. The PSLV-C62 mission had on board 16 satellites with the EOS-N1 satellite as the primary payload. Published - February 03, 2026 ...

Feb 3,2026
Viasat launches dedicated satellite service portfolio for government UAV operations

Milrem Robotics and EOS Defence ...

Feb 3,2026
Tsunamis from the Sky - Eos.org

... Satellite System) stations. This discovery opens a new avenue for future meteotsunami research. What are some of the remaining questions where ...

Feb 3,2026
As Jon Ive builds AI hardware with OpenAI, Apple reportedly tests an AI Pin: Will the iPhone survive?

Finnish satellite developer Iceye has raised €150 million in a new equity round led by General Catalyst and… ... By clicking submit, you agree to share ...

Feb 3,2026
ACMI Taps EOS Technology to Boost Domestic Additive Manufacturing

ESA Invests €73 Million in SWISSto12's HummingSat Satellite Program · Paloma Duran January 23rd 2026 - 11:45am. ACMI Taps EOS Technology to Boost ...

Feb 3,2026
Viasat Launches Dedicated Satellite Service Portfolio for Government UAV Operations

(NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced its next-generation satellite ... PAZ-2 Satellite Imagery. Jan 29, 2026.

Feb 3,2026
Overview of Segmentation, Market Dynamics, and Competitive - openPR.com

... ICEYE, EarthDaily Analytics ... Type segment covered in this study include large satellite, mini satellite, micro satellite, and nano satellite.

Feb 3,2026
Milrem Robotics and EOS Defence Systems agree partnership to expand unmanned ground ...

Related news & articles ... Airbus will launch its first Pléiades Neo Next satellite in early 2028 from the European Spaceport. Airbus to launch first ...

Feb 3,2026
Milrem Robotics and EOS Defence Systems sign teaming agreement to advance unmanned ...

... (EOS). “This teaming agreement extends EOS' world-leading counter ... Satellite Evolution Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DS Air Limited.

Feb 3,2026
Night sky, February 2026: What you can see tonight [maps] - Space

You can also use astronomy accessories to make your observing easier, and use our Satellite ... Capella, Castor and Pollux, and Procyon — covers ...

Feb 3,2026
Amazon Leo asks FCC for 2-year deadline extension, buys 10 SpaceX Falcon 9s, evokes ...

LA PLATA, Maryland — Amazon Leo was never going to meet its July 30 deadline to deploy 50% of its 2,232-satellite broadband constellation. The ...

Feb 3,2026
EOS Dividend Announcement $0.1523/Share 2/2/2026

What Are Section 199A Dividends? Three Dividend-paying Satellite ...

Feb 3,2026
Airbus and ST Engineering to develop 3D radar capabilities - Australian Defence Magazine

... PAZ-2 satellite manufactured by Airbus and the commercialisation of this service. This “3D SAR” approach will involve one satellite transmitting ...

Feb 3,2026
NRO Pulls Back Veil On Cold War-Era Intel Satellite Program

... Capella Space, ICEYE US, and Umbra, who provide a mix of space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Under its ...

Feb 3,2026
Promavtomatyka showcases rugged portable power stations for military use - Defensehere

Airbus, Hisdesat extend partnership to commercialize PAZ-2 radar satellite imagery · Airbus 28 January 2026. Airbus Defence and Space and Spanish ...

Feb 3,2026
Europe Seeks Unity of Purpose As Space Projects Mushroom | Aviation Week Network

Iceye is promoting the idea of Europe deploying a 1,000-multisensor-satellite constellation. Credit: Iceye. Europe has a new space challenge on its ...

Feb 3,2026
Bolivia kicks off school year with ban on cellphones - WFTV

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia began to implement a ban on cellphones in classrooms Monday, as the school year starts in the landlocked South American ...

Feb 3,2026
Eutelsat Halts Sale of its Passive Ground Segment Infrastructure Assets after Conditions ...

Membership Required ; Airbus and Hisdesat Sign Commercialization Agreement for PAZ-2 Satellite Imagery · January 29, 2026 ; Eutelsat Signs Launch ...

Feb 3,2026
SSA

Questions about Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)