Jane Edwards
The Defense Innovation Unit has awarded other transaction contracts to Anduril Industries, Aalyria, Atlas and Enveil for a program that seeks to demonstrate a hybrid architecture that would allow government, military and commercial space assets to provide data communications worldwide.
DIU said Thursday it is collaborating with the U.S. Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory on the Hybrid Space Architecture program, which focuses on multipath communications, multisource data fusion, cloud-based analytics and variable trust protocol.
In October 2021, DIU solicited proposals for the HSA prototype project meant to facilitate the integration of commercial space sensor and communications capabilities with the government’s space systems.
Rogan Shimmin, HSA program manager at DIU, said the initial goals of the program are to demonstrate beyond line-of-sight tactical situational awareness and to enable on-demand collection of overhead imagery.
“Hosting Internet-of-Things sensors and edge processing on every satellite further enables breakthrough civil applications, including comprehensive space domain awareness and high-fidelity mapping of the space radiation environment,” Shimmin added.
DIU said additional OT awards are expected from the same solicitation and that on-orbit demonstrations are anticipated within 24 months.
