Scout Space Selected for $60M SpaceWERX STRATFI Award to Scale Space Domain Awareness Sensors

Scout Space (Techstars 2021) has been selected for a $60M Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award from SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, in partnership with Space Systems Command's System Delta 89 and the Space Force's Space Combat Power Portfolio Acquisition Executive.

Scout is one of just 11 companies selected in Program Year 2026.1. Together, this cycle brings $562.5M in combined funding to the selected companies, including $245M in matching private capital. STRATFI is designed to help companies that have already proven their technology through SBIR or STTR Phase II work make the leap from prototype to operational capability. It's a clear signal that the Space Force is looking to smaller, innovative commercial companies to deliver new capabilities at speed and scale.

Scout went through the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in 2021, and we're proud to see the team earn one of the most competitive awards in the defense innovation ecosystem.

What the Award Means for Scout

Scout will use the funding to scale its production capacity and grow its Owl sensor suite. The expansion will add more payload options, multi-phenomenology sensing, and intelligence on other objects in orbit.

"We're positioned to put more sensors in space at lower cost and shorter lead times," said Josiah Gruber, CEO of Scout Space.

The goal is to make Scout the industry leader in flexible, tactically responsive payloads that can be integrated across a wide range of spacecraft platforms and orbital regimes, directly supporting emerging Space Force priorities.

About Scout Space

Based in Reston, Virginia, Scout builds space domain awareness sensors and software, along with edge processing and autonomous software, for commercial and national security customers. In other words, Scout helps operators see and understand what's happening in orbit so space stays safer and more transparent.

The team has flown six payloads to orbit, with roughly a dozen more missions planned over the next two years. Scout is also building a new production facility in Northern Virginia.

This award builds on a strong run of momentum. Scout already holds three Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contracts with the U.S. Space Force, covering a new GEO space domain awareness sensor, on-board data processing, and a hardware-agnostic flight software testbed for SDA payloads.

Read the full announcement and learn more at scout.space.