- The Space Systems Command Commercial Space Office and SpaceWERX have selected 11 companies for the 2026 STRATFI Initiative
- The Strategic Funding Increase initiative awardees include Antares Nuclear, Muon Space and KMI Space
- The chosen companies will receive funding to help bring their early-stage technologies to fielded capability
The Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office, together with its partner SpaceWERX, has revealed the newest group of companies chosen for its Strategic Funding Increase initiative.
The announcement came on Thursday at an event held in Austin, Texas, marking the Program Year 2026.1 selection cycle.
What Is the STRATFI Initiative?
The STRATFI initiative is designed to help companies bridge the gap between early-stage technology development and fielded capability. Firms become eligible for this funding after successfully completing Phase II work under the Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer programs, using the award to advance beyond the prototype stage toward operational readiness.
For this cycle, the program assembled a total of $562.5 million in combined funding, drawing on contributions from SpaceWERX itself, various program offices, non-traditional industry partners and outside investors. Of that total, private investment accounted for $245 million.
Who Are the Awardees for the Program Year 2026.1 STRATFI?
The 11 companies chosen in this round are:
- Agile Space Industries
- Antares Nuclear
- EO Solutions
- Hydrosat
- Kall Morris
- Method Security
- Muon Space
- Scout Space
- Sedaro Corp.
- Star Catcher Industries
- ThinkOrbital
Each awardee will collaborate with SpaceWERX and the Space Force to negotiate contract details, meet established milestones and continue developing their technologies toward eventual transition into broader use. For the companies involved, the award signals an opportunity to convert developmental progress into deployable, real-world capability.
What Are the Other New Projects Led by SpaceWERX?
The announcement of the STRATFI initiative awardees comes three months after SpaceWERX and the Space Force commenced the In-Domain Orbital Logistics Challenge, an initiative that aims to find commercial capabilities for keeping satellites resupplied, repaired and mobile once they are already in space. The initiative targets support for continuous resupply, upkeep and repositioning work across low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit and other space environments.
SpaceWERX also teamed up with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, to launch the 25.5 Release 9 Manufacturing Focused Open Topic Direct-to-Phase II Solicitation. The joint effort will work to bolster U.S. defense-related industrial capacity by teaming up with domestic small businesses. The program draws on the SBIR framework to back cutting-edge technology coming out of both companies and universities, while coordinating with several key partners including the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, the Rapid Sustainment Office and the Defense Innovation Unit. Together, these groups set rigorous standards and certification processes to assess emerging manufacturing methods.
