(Muon Space: Mountain View, CA) -- Muon Space, an end-to-end space systems provider that designs, builds, and operates mission-tailored low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract by SpaceWERX through Space Systems Command (SSC) to advance space-based environmental monitoring (SBEM) capabilities. This award will support Muon Space’s development of a multimission, multispectral electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) instrument aimed at filling critical data gaps with applications for both Department of Defense (DoD) and commercial use.

Muon Space’s advanced EO/IR instrument will provide comprehensive cloud characterization and theater weather imagery, addressing the No. 1 one and 2 priority gaps in SBEM identified by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC).

These capabilities are essential for global defense and national security operations, where real-time, accurate environmental data can be the difference between mission success and failure.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX, have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines. This has the potential to change the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now Muon Space will continue its journey to create and provide innovative EO/IR cloud characterization capabilities.

“This award accelerates Muon’s development of a dual-use instrument that will serve both the DoD’s SBEM needs and our commercial wildfire monitoring mission, FireSat,” says Gregory Smirin, president of Muon Space. “By evolving our FireSat infrared instrument to include additional spectral bands, we can observe cloud cover as well as wildfires, creating a highly versatile instrument that can serve multiple markets.”

This project exemplifies the core mission of the SBIR program, which is to foster innovation by providing nondilutive funding to small businesses that can develop critical technologies for commercialization. By evolving its FireSat architecture into a dual-use SBEM variant, Muon Space is not only fulfilling the immediate needs of the DoD, but also laying the groundwork for broader commercial applications that align with its mission of delivering Earth intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

“The ability to forecast weather globally, 24/7, in austere and denied environments, is crucial for our mission readiness,” says Christine Fox, former acting deputy Secretary of Defense and member of Muon’s board of directors. “The EO/IR instrument developed by Muon Space offers a path to achieving that capability faster and more affordably than previously possible.”

The views expressed are those of the author and don’t necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.