USGS Seeks Industry Input on Landsat 10 Mission Operations Center and Flight Operations
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking industry input on the future Landsat 10 Mission Operations Center (MOC) and flight operations architecture. The RFI, released May 7, 2026, supports planning for the next generation of Landsat ground system operations and long-term mission support.
The Landsat 10 mission, a joint program between the USGS and NASA, will continue the more than five-decade Landsat record of global land imaging. Following NASA’s on-orbit commissioning, mission operations will transition to the USGS, continuing the agency’s longstanding role in Landsat flight operations, data processing, archiving, and distribution.
Through this RFI, the USGS is seeking information on highly available and resilient Mission Operations Center approaches capable of supporting spacecraft command and control, mission planning, communications scheduling, observatory health and safety, and long-term operations and sustainment. The agency is considering all architectures and is particularly interested in approaches that are most efficient from a total life-cycle perspective.
Landsat 10 is designed to improve both spectral and spatial capabilities while maintaining continuity with the historic Landsat archive maintained at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. The mission will continue providing consistent, calibrated, and freely available Earth observation data used for applications including agriculture, water resources, disaster response, land management, and environmental monitoring worldwide.
Information gathered through this RFI will help inform the acquisition strategy for the Landsat 10 Mission Operations Center and Flight Operations Team.
Looking ahead, the project currently anticipates releasing a draft Request for Proposals (DRFP) in November 2026, followed by a formal RFP in February 2027.
Responses to the RFI are due June 4, 2026. Responses from large and small businesses are encouraged.