Space Moves: Anduril solidifies DoD-focused market strategy

WASHINGTON — Software startup Anduril is hammering down pegs in its new strategy to conquer the military space market — with a new Space Force contract and a strategic partnership for off-the-shelf satellite buses to allow for rapid launch of its planned orbital payloads.

The Space Force on Sept. 27 awarded Anduril a $25.3 million contract to expand the use of its artificial intelligence-powered Lattice software that enables mesh network communications to more sites in the service’s Space Surveillance Network (SSN) of globally dispersed telescopes and radar.

The contract, which extends through March 2026, follows a pair of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards in 2022 and 2023 for similar work, with the aim of making the network’s communications more resilient and helping ensure US Space Command can keep eyes on the skies. The software also is designed to allow the addition of new sensors, including those owned by private sector entities, to the SSN.

Today, Anduril announced it is partnering with Los Angeles-based Apex Space, which mass manufactures commercial satellite buses in a variety of standard sizes that can be customized by users.

“Anduril will use Apex’s buses for missions where Apex’s off-the-shelf approach and scalable manufacturing enable Anduril to rapidly deliver capability to customers; such as space situational awareness, proliferated LEO architectures, and missile warning and tracking,” according to Anduril’s press release.

(Proliferated LEO is a term of art for large constellations of small satellites in low Earth orbit.)

“As part of this agreement, Anduril will utilize its capabilities as a mission systems integrator to field operational systems by bringing together technology across the industrial base. Anduril will also contribute its own products from on-orbit edge processing, versatile payloads, ground C2 [command and control] systems, and other autonomous operations support that is essential to field mission-ready satellite constellations,” the release added.

Anduril’s Senior Vice President of Space and Engineering Gokul Subramanian on Sept. 13 said the company intends for its first space monitoring satellites to be launched by the end of 2025 — with the Space Force clearly the target market.