A new quality assessment report from NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program approves the use of data from Satellogic’s NewSat constellation, which includes the Mark IV and Mark V sensor generations, for scientific use.
Issued March 9, 2026, the Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program Satellogic NewSat Radiometric & Geometric Quality Assessment Report documents the evaluation process of the NASA subject matter experts (SMEs) enlisted to analyze the quality of the constellation’s radiometric and geometric data products.
The SMEs analyzed 60 top-of-atmosphere reflectance images collected between 2021 and 2025, focusing on radiometric and geometric performance across multiple sites. Results showed generally strong radiometric accuracy, with the majority of spectral bands performing within 10% of Aqua MODIS reference values and signal-to-noise ratios meeting “Good” rating criteria for more than half of the bands. Geometric performance exceeded their specified sensor spatial response specifications, with some variability noted between sensor generations. (The Mark IV received an “Excellent” grade for sensor spatial response while the Mark V received a “Basic” grade.)
Since the release of the report, Satellogic has changed aspects of their data processing, in part to address findings and recommendations in the report. CSDA is engaged in a quality assessment of their revised products and will report on the results in the near future.
NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) established the CSDA program to identify, evaluate, and acquire commercial remote sensing data that enhances NASA’s Earth science research and applications. CSDA provides structured on-ramping opportunities for emerging commercial satellite data vendors, enabling NASA to continuously integrate innovative data sources as the private sector evolves. By leveraging these partnerships, NASA’s ESD aims to accelerate scientific discovery and expand applications of Earth observation data for the NASA Earth science research and applications community and societal benefit.
Since its initial pilot, the CSDA Program has conducted three on-ramp activities, resulting in the addition of several vendors into sustainment. Since then, the program has streamlined its evaluation process by introducing high-quality, SME-led data assessments, accelerating reviews and strengthening NASA’s engagement with the rapidly growing commercial data ecosystem. The CSDA’s evaluation criteria include:
- Accessibility of data
- Completeness and accuracy of metadata
- User support services provided by the commercial entity
- Usefulness of submitted data for science and applications
This approach ensures NASA gains timely access to high-quality, mission-relevant commercial data, and provides valuable feedback to private-sector providers, fostering innovation, improved data products, and alignment of industry capabilities with NASA’s evolving scientific needs.
To read the CSDA’s Satellogic NewSat Radiometric & Geometric Quality Assessment Report, visit the CSDA website.
View the recent CSDA Vendor Focus Webinar on Satellogic on the CSDA program’s YouTube channel.
For more information about the CSDA program’s process for identifying commercial satellite vendors for on-ramp and evaluation, visit the CSDA website.
