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INNOVATION

Gateway to

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome to Moonshot Labs ............................. 4

A Letter from the Director of NGA

Why “Moonshot Labs” ....................................... 5

Our Name

Setting the Stage ................................................ 6

Understanding the Environment

Introduction to Moonshot Labs..........................7

The Foundational Elements 

NGA’s Moonshot Labs ........................................ 8

Mission & Vision

Meet the Moonshot Labs Team ......................... 9

Organizational Structure

Moonshot Labs Strategy Overview .................10

Alignment to NGA’s Strategic Objectives

Lines of Effort......................................................11

Moonshot Labs Focus Areas
For the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to successfully 

execute our mission to deliver world-class Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) 

and lead the global GEOINT Enterprise, we must advance our competitive 

advantage through innovation. By understanding where industry and 

academia intersect with geospatial innovation, we can modernize 

capabilities and cultivate the next generation of talent to guarantee NGA’s 

dominance over any adversary.

Moonshot Labs is leading this innovative spirit by forging connections 

between creative minds across the NGA, the Intelligence Community (IC), 

and the Department of Defense (DoD) with industry. Technologists, allied 

partners, and academia will work with these federal partners to incubate, 

sustain, scale, and transition novel solutions that address today’s national 

security challenges. At Moonshot Labs, innovation is built around a 

collaborative mindset and a workplace where inclusive groups yield better 

results. With diverse partnerships in industry and academia, we are building 

cutting-edge solutions while keeping the NGA talent pipeline relevant and 

able to deliver world-class GEOINT.

Moonshot Labs is directly aligned with NGA’s Strategic Objectives as it: 

• Enhances operational readiness by enabling access to expert tech visionaries, applying specialized 

skills to real-world problems.

• Attracts and develops a highly skilled, diverse, and inclusive workforce by working alongside 

academic institutions to give students an opportunity to engage with GEOINT early in their career.

• Builds resiliency by strengthening partnerships, the core of Moonshot Labs’ mission, where 

collaboration is the foundation for growing the GEOINT ecosystem.

• Strengthens stewardship of GEOINT resources by finding cost-saving and time-saving 

opportunities to deploy GEOINT in the field through its technology challenges and events.

• Accelerates GEOINT technology acquisition and integration by reducing the time associated 

with traditional technology discovery and Government capabilities’ development and execution. 

NGA’s Moonshot Labs is the Community’s gateway to innovation. This document outlines our vision 

for driving cross-Agency and cross-enterprise value to propel NGA into the future with leading-edge 

GEOINT advancements. 

Vice Admiral Frank D. Whitworth, USN

Director of NGA

WELCOME TO MOONSHOT LABS 

A Letter from the Director of NGA
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St. Louis is quickly becoming a hub in the GEOINT ecosystem. NGA’s rich 

history with St. Louis began in 1952 with the creation of the Aeronautical Chart 

and Information Center (ACIC), a heritage organization of NGA, where the first 

“moonshot” mission began. The “Moonshot Labs” name stems from the United 

States’ seemingly impossible mission to put a man on the moon. The pervasive 

struggle for competitive advantage loomed during the Cold War.

During ACIC’s two decades of existence, it provided hundreds of vital lunar 

mapping products. NASA relied on the St. Louis scientists and cartographers’ 

lunar charts and graphics to support the planning and execution of the Apollo 

mission to the moon. The mission to the moon, once perceived as “impossible,” 

suddenly became a reality due to the collaboration and ingenuity of various 

industries coming together for a greater purpose. 

NGA’s new west headquarters will harness the innovative spirit of the region to 

help the United States maintain its dominance in GEOINT.

Moonshot Labs is a cross-Agency and cross-enterprise value that contributes to 

partnerships, acquisition, fielding capabilities, and talent cultivation to support 

NGA’s technology needs for the long-term. Through a common NGA vision and 

cohesive action, we can transform the future together; one small step for Moonshot 

Labs, one giant leap for the geospatial ecosystem.

WHY “MOONSHOT LABS”

Our Name
SETTING THE STAGE 

Acquisition Environment

Opportunities exist to transform how 

NGA identifies, builds, and procures 

new capabilities and talent to 

combat any threat to NGA’s ability 

to contribute to national security.

Cultural Environment

With an increasingly competitive 

environment, there are opportunities 

for DoD and the IC to embrace 

innovation, enable dynamic 

acquisitions, and empower operations 

outside of a SCIF. New approaches 

are needed to inspire valuable talent 

and necessary entrepreneurship while 

adapting to the accelerated pace of 

strategic competition.

Understanding the Environment 

Competitive Environment

NGA faces large-scale and longterm strategic challenges that require 

deliberate and creative approaches 

to solve. The United States’ GEOINT 

supremacy is impacted by peer 

competition, rapidly expanding 

commercial endeavors, and 

insufficient human capital in critical 

GEOINT disciplines.

Funding Environment

Congress provided funds to establish 

Moonshot Labs in fiscal years 2020 

and 2021. Moonshot Labs is the 

current major innovation space in 

downtown St. Louis and it will help 

NGA prepare to fully utilize the Next 

NGA West (N2W) collaboration 

areas once they open.
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INTRODUCTION TO 

MOONSHOT LABS

The Foundational Elements

Moonshot Labs is a Government operated innovation center that exists 

to tackle NGA’s toughest challenges with nontraditional approaches to 

pursue differentiated outcomes. Moonshot Labs works in conjunction 

with other organizations across NGA to bring innovative solutions to the 

forefront.

Moonshot Labs is: 

Transforming how we build solutions; it 

is more than a place, it’s a culture and an 

approach

Providing an environment to democratize 

innovation for those across the IC, DoD, 

and NGA

Accelerating geospatial technology, which:

• Creates demand and influence in the 

GEOINT marketplace 

• Advances pre-acquisition discovery

• Exposes the workforce to commercial 

solutions

Enabling an accessible atmosphere for the 

Community to collaborate with partners in 

the Midwest
MISSION

Pioneer innovative mission 

solutions, cultivate next 

generation talent, and build 

strategic partnerships to

deliver world-class 

geospatial

MISSION

Pioneer innovative mission 

solutions, cultivate nextgeneration talent, and build 

strategic partnerships to

deliver world-class 

geospatial intelligence.

VISION

Moonshot Labs is the 

Community’s gateway 

to innovation:

• Accelerating Mission

• Forging Solutions

• Enriching Partnerships

NGA’S MOONSHOT LABS
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Moonshot Labs provides an environment for all 

innovators to come together. While Moonshot 

Labs is Government run and managed, the 

operations are further enhanced through 

Community of Innovators from Government, 

industry, and academia who contribute to the 

growth and collaborative spirit of Moonshot Labs.

Organizational Structure

MEET THE MOONSHOT LABS TEAM
MOONSHOT LABS OVERVIEW

DELIVER 

Mission 

Solutions 

Together

DRIVE 

Technology 

Discovery

CREATE 

Partnership 

Advantages

ENGAGE

Next-Generation 

GEOINT 

Talent

Alignment to NGA’s Strategic Objectives

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

MOONSHOT LABS LINES OF EFFORT

BUILD

resiliency by 

strengthening 

our 

partnerships

STRENGTHEN

stewardship 

of GEOINT

resources

ACCELERATE

GEOINT 

technology 

acquisition & 

integration

ATTRACT

& develop a 

highly skilled, 

diverse, and 

inclusive 

workforce

ENHANCE

operational 

readiness,

Indications & 

Warning, and 

Targeting
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DELIVER MISSION SOLUTIONS TOGETHER

Description: Leveraging the unclassified development 

environment to deliver GEOINT tools and capabilities for 

deployment at the speed of mission. 

OUTCOMES: 

• Shorter timeframe from capability design to deployment in theater

• Faster data access for warfighter 

• New tools delivered that leverage collaboration across the St. Louis 

technology ecosystem

• Capabilities built at the unclassified level that are then deployed to 

classified spaces 

Outcome of the Line of Effort:

Moonshot Labs normalizes creating solutions in the unclassified environment 

first, expanding the solution aperture in support of the GEOINT Mission.

Warfighter Support

Building the tools and 

capabilities to deploy 

GEOINT technology to 

the theater, faster — at 

the speed of mission

Mission Challenges

Leveraging nontraditional 

developers and 

unclassified environments 

to unleash new software 

capabilities to address 

mission challenges 

across the IC

Some initiatives that support this Line of Effort:

Moonshot Labs Lines of Effort
Outcome of the Line of Effort:

Moonshot Labs uses nontraditional approaches to drive capability development 

to close gaps and accelerate superior technology use by GEOINT end users.

OUTCOMES: 

• An increase in completed prototypes transitioned to NGA’s toolkit

• Reduced time and cost spent in development phase

• Influence on industry partners through NGA technology transfer 

• Growing the number of small businesses supporting NGA’s mission

DRIVE TECHNOLOGY DISCOVERY

 

Accelerators

Leveraging commercial 

solutions to develop 

forward-leaning 

geospatial technology, 

through 

unconstrained 

collaboration

Hackathons

Facilitating innovation as 

developers and scientists 

gather for discovery 

and development of 

innovative solutions

Moonshot Labs Lines of Effort

Description: Spurring the acceleration of breakthrough 

technology by joining forces with industry pioneers, applying 

cutting-edge solutions to emerging threats.

Some initiatives that support this Line of Effort:
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Description: Fostering unrivaled partnerships with industry, 

academia, and national and international partners to enable 

overall mission success.

Outcome of the Line of Effort:

Moonshot Labs increases engagement among diverse partners to strengthen 

the United States’ GEOINT competitive advantage against its adversaries. 

OUTCOMES: 

• Growing number and types of partnerships 

• An increase in hosted partnership engagements 

• New initiatives and capabilities launched

• Mutual benefits to NGA and partners through technology transfers 

or exchanges

International Partner 

Engagements

Hosting foreign partners 

in a conducive and 

unclassified, but controlled, 

Government setting to 

provide easier access and 

less security risk

Cross-Community 

Exchanges

Collaborating with 

other federal partners 

to share best practices 

and seamlessly embed 

modernization across 

innovation hubs within the 

IC and DoD

Technical Exchange

Bringing together industry, 

academia, and Government 

technology to unveil AI/ML 

advancement and explore 

improvements to predictive 

results

CREATE PARTNERSHIP ADVANTAGES

 

Moonshot Labs Lines of Effort

Some initiatives that support this Line of Effort:
Description: Empowering the future workforce to explore 

NGA’s mission, hone specialized skills, and shape the next 

generation of the Agency. 

Outcome of the Line of Effort:

Moonshot Labs leverages academic partners to further boost geospatial 

sciences while expanding GEOINT talent. 

OUTCOMES: 

• Annual growth in students enrolled in University geospatial programs

• Increased engagement events held with academic partners

• Increased number of students applying for internship programs 

• Growing number of students entering the NGA workforce

• Projects contributing directly to NGA mission needs

University and 

Research Partnerships

Expanding typical research 

beyond the classroom 

by offering hands-on 

experience supporting 

mission and gaining 

valuable hard skills to 

apply to GEOINT careers

Academic Engagements

Piloting programs to engage 

students in opportunities 

where they can apply 

GEOINT to “real-world” 

scenarios and pique their 

interest in geosciences, 

while demystifying the 

Intelligence Community

Workforce Development

Expanding education and 

training opportunities to 

current and future 

GEOINT professionals 

to improve skillsets and 

broaden opportunities

ENGAGE NEXT-GENERATION GEOINT TALENT

 

Moonshot Labs Lines of Effort

Some initiatives that support this Line of Effort:
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MoonshotLabs@nga.mil

Join the Revolution of

INNOVATORS!

OCC 230310-004

Approved for public release, NGA-U-2023-00934