The US military has awarded Gravitics, a company developing commercial space station modules, up to $60 million in funding to develop a new spacecraft designed for “tactically responsive” space applications. The award, part of the Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program, aims to leverage technology developed by Gravitics for the Space Force.
The award will support work on Orbital Carrier, a derivative of commercial space station modules that can deploy multiple “maneuverable space vehicles” in orbit in response to threats. This spacecraft would bypass traditional launch constraints, enabling space vehicle operators to rapidly select a deployment orbit on-demand.
Gravitics was founded to develop modules for commercial space stations but has since explored other markets for its technologies. The company previously won a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from SpaceWERX in April 2024 and signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in June 2024 to assist in verification and validation plans.
Gravitics’ CEO, Colin Doughan, described the Orbital Carrier as a “game-changer” that would enable space vehicle operators to rapidly respond to threats in space. The award will allow Gravitics to develop and demonstrate the platform, paving the way for its integration into the Space Force’s future space architecture.
Source: https://spacenews.com/gravitics-wins-spacewerx-award-for-tactically-responsive-space-system