SpaceWERX Picks 11 Firms for $562.5 Million Space Tech Push

1 articles · Updated · SpaceNews · Aug 20

$562.5 million in expected public-private backing will support 11 SpaceWERX STRATFI selections aimed at moving military space technologies from prototype to operational use.
About $245 million would come from government sources, with the rest expected from private investors and other matching funds under a model designed to prove demand before larger-scale procurement.
The selections announced at the Fed Supernova conference are not final contract awards; companies must still negotiate agreements, set milestones and show their technologies meet Space Force requirements.
The cohort spans propulsion, nuclear power, space-domain awareness, thermal sensing, orbital servicing, cybersecurity, satellite constellations, simulation software and power beaming, with STRATFI deals worth up to $60 million each.
STRATFI is limited to firms in or just finishing Phase 2 SBIR or STTR work and requires military customers and outside investors to commit funding alongside SpaceWERX.