A startup called Defense Unicorns has secured a $15 million contract to upgrade IT systems and software apps used for rocket launches at U.S. Space Force sites.
The company, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, received a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) agreement from SpaceWERX, the technology branch of the Space Force.
STRATFI contracts are given to companies that have succeeded in Small Business Innovation Research projects to assist in moving products from development to production and to help small businesses attract private investors.
Funding for STRATFI contracts can range from $3 million to $15 million per project. SpaceWERX recently announced STRATFI awards to Defense Unicorns and other companies. Defense Unicorns' STRATFI agreement spans five years.
Last week, the company revealed it had secured a $35 million Series A funding round led by Sapphire Ventures and Ansa Capital.
Updating outdated systems Andrew Greene, co-founder of Defense Unicorns, stated that the company was established three years ago by former developers from Department of Defense software factories. The firm specializes in transitioning legacy military systems that are usually not connected to the internet to digital IT infrastructure. Modernizing software is greatly needed at Space Force launch sites in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Greene mentioned that applications used to monitor weather conditions and the status of launch vehicle hardware are currently in outdated legacy systems and are unique to each site.
Due to the rapidly increasing number of commercial launches, the U.S. Space Force needs to quickly integrate and deploy new technology.
Greene explained that updating the launch IT systems is quite challenging because of the outdated technology, diverse computing environments, and the complexities of security and compliance standards.
The startup secured a $15 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) agreement from SpaceWERX.
With the pace of commercial launches rapidly increasing, the U.S. Space Force needs to integrate and deploy new technology at speed, he said.
The modernization of launch IT systems, Greene said, is a huge challenge due to outdated technology, diverse compute environments and the complexities of security and compliance standards.
