True Anomaly and Northrop Grumman Aiming to Build GHOST-R Prototypes to Reduce RG-XX Costs

The Defense Innovation Unit and Space Systems Command selected True Anomaly and Northrop Grumman to build competing GHOST-R prototypes for the RG-XX program. Both companies are expected to place lower-cost reconnaissance satellites in orbit by 2028, using commercial spacecraft buses and electro-optical payloads. The vehicles are intended to collect high-resolution space-to-space imagery of objects in geosynchronous orbit, supporting identification, characterization, and tactical awareness. The prototype competition is meant to reduce cost and schedule risk before a larger acquisition, and the awards do not establish final constellation size, production quantities, or a single program winner.