The U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), also referred to as Unit X, is a Department of Defense (DoD) organization that aims to accelerate the U.S. military's adoption of commercial technology. DIU partners with commercial companies to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities, addressing national security challenges across areas like AI, autonomy, cyber, and space. Key activities include scouting cutting-edge technologies, streamlining contracting, and fostering collaboration between the DoD and the commercial technology sector.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit solicits pitches from the space industry for next-generation technologies.
The most recent solicitation from the Defense Innovation Unit is for commercial vehicles for in-space logistics.
In June 2019 SpinLaunch received an other transaction authority (OTA) award from the Defense Innovation Unit to examine using SpinLaunch's services for responsive satellite launch.
STP-27VP was awarded to VOX Space under the Rapid Agile Launch Initiative (RALI), a $25,000,000 congressional add-on appropriated in 2017 and 2018 for the Space Test Program and the Defense Innovation Unit.
Virgin Orbit received a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit in November 2017 to launch an Air Force experimental satellite.
Under the Defense Innovation Unit contract, Virgin Orbit will launch an Air Force experimental satellite from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
SpinLaunch received an other transaction authority cost-sharing contract from the Defense Innovation Unit on 2019-06-19.
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center requested Defense Innovation Unit assistance in 2017 to work with emerging small launch providers following a $15,000,000 Congressional insertion for the Rapid Agile Launch Initiative.
The Defense Innovation Unit will work with four selected companies to develop how the Department of Defense would procure small launch services.
The Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Unit produced a 2019-05-30 report titled "State of the Space Industrial Base: Threats, Challenges and Actions."
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) was created in 2015 to accelerate the adoption of commercial technology to solve national security problems.
Capella Space has received half of the $11,000,000 Defense Innovation Unit contract and expects the other half by the end of 2018.
Capella Space previously won an $11,000,000 contract from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.
The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental awarded Capella an additional $10,000,000 in 2017 and issued a stop-work order in October 2017 due to a lack of funding; the stop-work order was later lifted and Capella resumed its DIUX work.
DIUX and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency launched the xView Detection Challenge in February to advance AI big-data capabilities using government satellite imagery.
The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental partnered with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on the xView Detection Challenge earlier 2018 to provide government satellite imagery to companies to develop machine learning algorithms.