Lawful defense very high spatial resolution satellite imagery

The Economic Affairs Headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has published in the Official State Gazette the tender announcement for a framework agreement for the supply of very high spatial resolution imagery from commercial Earth observation satellite constellation operators, in the visible, infrared, and radar spectrum bands. The announcement appears in BOE number 207, Monday, August 24, 2026, section V-A, page 44763, with reference BOE-B-2026-27677.

The contract, processed through an open procedure without variants, has an estimated value of 7,438,016.52 euros and a duration of two years. It falls under CPV code 35720000 (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance), making it a strategic component for the intelligence and Earth observation capability of the Armed Forces.

Object and scope of the framework agreement

The framework agreement will allow the Ministry of Defense to contract very high-resolution imagery from commercial satellite constellation operators, covering three spectrum bands:

• Visible, for daytime optical observation.
• Infrared, for thermal and nighttime detection.
• Radar, for observation in any weather and lighting condition.

The proposed number of operators to participate in the agreement is 10, as both the minimum and maximum. The primary place of delivery for the supplies is zone ES300 (Community of Madrid).

Award criteria and deadlines

The award will be resolved based on three criteria, with a clear weight on price:

• Price (80% weighting).
• Improvements in value-added tools and ecosystem (17%).
• Improvement in the availability of the user support service (3%).

The deadline for the receipt of bids or requests to participate ends at 12:00 PM on September 21, 2026, and they must be submitted to the headquarters of the JAE-EMAD, at calle Vitruvio 1 in Madrid. The opening of the economic bid envelope is scheduled for September 22, 2026, at 10:30 AM, as a guideline, and bidders must maintain their offer for three months. Bids shall be written in Spanish, and electronic submission and electronic invoicing will be accepted.

Managing body and appeals

The contracting authority is the Economic Affairs Headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (NIF S2830083H), headquartered at calle Vitruvio 1 in Madrid, whose primary activity is defense. The announcement was sent to the TED on August 19, 2026, and signed by the head of the unit, Inmaculada Sánchez Angulo. Contractual appeals are directed to the Central Administrative Tribunal for Contractual Appeals (TACRC), in accordance with Article 50 of the LCSP.

The tender reinforces Defense’s commitment to high-precision terrestrial observation through commercial capabilities, a rapidly expanding sector. For satellite operators, it represents a significant business opportunity in the field of intelligence and strategic surveillance.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 207, August 24, 2026, Sec. V-A, p. 44763 (official reference: BOE-B-2026-27677).