NASA seeks contractors for Landsat 10 satellite as draft proposal opens
The US Geological Survey and NASA continue their partnership to monitor global landmasses, with the new spacecraft set to improve spectral and spatial capabilities over its predecessors.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has released the Draft Request for Proposal for the Landsat 10 spacecraft, making the document available for public review on SAM.gov as of 18 May 2026. This solicitation represents a significant step in the ongoing collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey to acquire, archive, and distribute multispectral imagery of Earth’s landmasses and coastal regions.
The agency is seeking a contractor to manage the end-to-end design, fabrication, and integration of the satellite bus alongside the Landsat Instrument Suite. The selected firm will also be responsible for comprehensive observatory-level performance testing, the development of high-fidelity simulators, launch vehicle integration support, and post-launch on-orbit commissioning.
Landsat 10 has been re-architected as a single-observatory mission. It is designed to operate in a 653-kilometre sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit, with a repeating ground track occurring every 18 days. The Class C mission specifications require the spacecraft to support a maximum launch mass of 4,000 kilograms and feature advanced onboard autonomy and fault management systems.
The mission mandates a minimum five-year design life, inclusive of the commissioning period. Beyond the construction of the satellite bus, the contractor will lead the mechanical and electrical integration of the government-furnished Landsat Instrument Suite. Following on-orbit checkout, operations will transition to the USGS.
Potential offerors are invited to submit comments on all aspects of the draft solicitation by 2 June 2026. The final Request for Proposal is currently expected to be released at the end of June 2026, with proposals due approximately 30 days thereafter.
Landsat 10 aims to provide improvements in both spectral and spatial capabilities compared to its predecessors, Landsats 8 and 9. The mission ensures critical data continuity with the legacy archive held at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, supporting researchers, resource managers, and policymakers in monitoring environmental changes.
