The U.S. Space Force and the Defense Innovation Unit are accelerating efforts to bring commercial technologies into military operations in line with the Commercial Space Strategy, released in April 2024, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
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During a recent AFCEA DC luncheon, Col. Richard Kniseley, the senior materiel leader of the Commercial Space Office in the Space Systems Command for the Space Force, shared that the agency’s use of the strategy reduced the time needed from query to competition to delivery of product to less than 72 hours, in support of a tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking mission area, which involved missions related to Russia and China and counter-drug proliferation.
“So [we are] taking advantage of the phenomenal technologies that are being procured by our intel friends at the National Reconnaissance Office, and utilizing commercial analytics to get things out to the command commands very fast,” Kniseley said.
According to the official, the Space Force introduced a new “front door” aimed at reducing barriers for commercial companies, particularly early-stage businesses, when attempting to work with the service branch.
Focusing on Prototypes to Accelerate Product Development, Procurement
In line with the Commercial Space Strategy, SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the Space Force, now focuses on investing in prototypes with the potential to become programs of record.
DIU, meanwhile, is implementing brief proposal processes to speed up contract awards for non-traditional commercial technology and prototypes.
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