SpaceWERX, which essentially serves as a venture fund for the U.S. Space Force, has awarded contracts worth as much as $1.7 million each to 18 companies — including three startups headquartered in the Seattle area.
The Washington state awardees are Marysville-based Gravitics, which is working on next-generation space station modules; Bothell-based Portal Space Systems, which is focusing on systems for in-space mobility and orbital debris removal; and Tukwila-based Starfish Space, which is developing spacecraft and software for on-orbit satellite servicing.
The awards were made through the 2023 SpaceWERX Tactically Responsive Space Challenge, conducted in partnership with Space Safari. The challenge is meant to support cutting-edge concepts that could enable the Space Force to respond more rapidly and flexibly to emerging on-orbit threats by 2026.
In a LinkedIn posting, SpaceWERX said 302 proposals were submitted in response to a solicitation issued in August. The winners will be fast-tracked into Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contracts, each of which calls for up to $1.7 million to be paid out over the course of a 15-month period of performance.
