WASHINGTON — The Defense Innovation Unit, which is the Pentagon’s outpost in Silicon Valley responsible for integrating commercial technology into the military, is stepping up its support for the Space Force’s efforts to reduce the time it takes to plan space missions.
The Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Space program aims to quickly respond to situations in space. The objective is to significantly cut down the time for launching and operating satellites, from typical weeks or months to days or even hours.
Maj. David Ryan, the space portfolio program manager at the Defense Innovation Unit, stated that DIU is collaborating with the Space Force’s Space Safari office to identify and choose commercial providers for an upcoming responsive mission called Victus Haze.
Victus Haze follows the Victus Nox operation last September, where the Space Force managed to launch a small satellite made by Millennium Space on a Firefly rocket in a record-breaking 27 hours. He mentioned that DIU is assisting the Space Force in establishing a process to engage with the industry and form agreements with companies.
‘It’s a mindset’
Responsive space is seen as a launch program, but it’s more than that, Ryan said on March 18 at the Satellite 2024 conference. “It is a mindset shift more than anything.” Part of that mindset, he said, is understanding how to best utilize the commercial industry.
While the government is expected to be the primary customer for tactical space launches in the near term, DIU believes there are broader advantages from investing in these rapid capabilities alongside commercial partners.
Victus Nox was a military mission carried out by commercial companies. Victus Haze will follow a similar model, but the circumstances will be different, he said.
Ryan mentioned that the government is not attempting to assist in creating a commercial market for responsive launch. “There will likely not be a commercial end user that needs a responsive launch capability within the next couple of years. But the government absolutely will need it and what it’s going to drive towards.”
“There is a lot of commercial development for technologies that absolutely will be used commercially, to be more responsive to commercial needs,” said Ryan. Projects like Victus Nox and Victus Haze “are just really pushing the accelerator on developing this ability to be more responsive.”
This dual focus – addressing immediate defense needs while fostering long-term industry growth – underscores DIU’s approach to innovation, said Ryan.
Responsive launch benefits commercial industry
Established in 2015, DIU acts as a bridge between the Department of Defense and the commercial tech sector. It identifies promising technologies with potential military applications, streamlines the often-bureaucratic acquisition process, and helps get these solutions into the hands of troops faster.
By working with commercial providers on tactically responsive missions, the government can help them develop and refine the processes needed for expedited launches, Ryan said. This agility will ultimately benefit the entire space industry, not just the military.
Ryan said that the process of choosing companies to help Victus Haze is happening now. Details about the satellite's mission have not been revealed yet.
The Tactically Responsive Space program is allocated $30 million in the Space Force's 2024 budget and an additional $30 million in the 2025 budget.
