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 Spaceport Company landed a $2,500,000 contract from the Defense Innovation Unit.
The Defense Innovation Unit contract announced on 2024-05-28 will fund development of a prototype ocean-going launch complex built on a repurposed U.S. Navy torpedo recovery vessel.
The Spaceport Company received $1,500,000 last year from the Defense Innovation Unit program National Security Innovation Capital in support of a Liftboat concept for converting offshore oil rigs into floating launch sites.
iDirect Government won a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit to build an operational 0.005 kg co-channel interference mitigation solution prototype.
Tomorrow.io has secured about $20,000,000 in contracts from the U.S. Air Force and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit to support development of commercial space-based weather sensors.
Blue Origin and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) announced the DarkSky-1 mission to demonstrate flight systems including space-based processing capabilities, telemetry, tracking and command hardware, and ground-based radiometric tracking.
The Helix Mesh Rider Radio is developed for defense use cases with sponsorship from the Defense Innovation Unit.
The United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command Space Safari Program Office partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit and SpaceWERX to execute the VICTUS HAZE on-orbit space domain awareness demonstration.
DIU awarded a contract to Rocket Lab National Security valued at $32,000,000 for VICTUS HAZE.
A second Muon Space satellite launched 2024-03-04 on the SpaceX Transporter-10 rideshare flight as a prototype weather satellite for the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Weather Systems Branch and the Defense Innovation Unit.
In 2022, Santa Clara-based SpaceBilt flew a prototype Microchip PolarFire RISC-V Linux operating system-based avionics package and data server to the ISS to support flight qualification of robotic connectors, sponsored by CASIS and funded by the Defense Innovation Unit.
The Defense Innovation Unit received $945,000,000 in the defense spending bill passed 2024-03-21, four times its prior-year appropriation.
The 100-terabyte LiSS server is a risk-reduction prototype for Spacebilt’s planned 1.2-petabyte server being developed under a multi-orbit logistics vehicle Other Transaction Authority agreement with commercial customers and the Defense Innovation Unit.
The Defense Innovation Unit selected Motiv Space Systems in 2022 to prototype satellite-servicing hardware for the Modularity for Space Systems program.
The Pentagon’s Test Resource Management Center co-funded the sensor upgrade project with the Defense Innovation Unit.
DIU expanded its agreement in January 2024 to include Katalyst Space in the Modularity for Space Systems program.
The DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) contracted with Orbit Fab for the first in-space fuel sale in GEO and selected Orbit Fab’s RAFTI fueling port and GRIP for its RAPIDS Refueling and Fuel Depot initiative.
Firefly Aerospace signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit to conduct a trade study on Firefly’s capabilities to rapidly launch Elytra vehicles and support missions beyond geosynchronous orbit (xGEO).
On 2024-03-21 Firefly Aerospace signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit to conduct a trade study on Firefly’s capabilities to rapidly launch Elytra vehicles and support missions beyond Geosynchronous Orbit (xGEO).
The Defense Innovation Unit receives an increase of $842,000,000 in the fiscal year 2024 defense budget.