The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for creating breakthrough technologies for national security. While not a space agency, DARPA initiates and manages high-risk, high-payoff projects relevant to space, including satellite constellations, space-based surveillance tech, lunar habitats, and advanced propulsion systems like nuclear thermal rockets. DARPA partners with various organizations, including NASA, U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and BAE Systems, to achieve its goals. Keywords associated with DARPA's space activities include space superiority, space-based weaponry, advanced materials, and autonomous systems.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The goal of DARPA’s LunA-10 Capability Study is to establish an analytical framework for integrated lunar infrastructure that minimizes lunar footprint and provides commercial services for future lunar users.
DARPA designed the LunA-10 Capability Study to quickly create new technology ideas that shift from individual scientific projects to shared, scalable systems.
GITAI’s concept was selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study in December 2023.
GITAI's technologies were selected for DARPA's 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study in December 2023.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency released a study for a 10-year Lunar Architecture capability in 2023.
The $110,000,000 for NTP includes $10,000,000 to accelerate development of an operational nuclear thermal propulsion system with commercial partners concurrent with the DRACO project that NASA is cooperating on with DARPA.
Satellites supporting the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Blackjack program have completed critical milestones activities.
Satellites supporting the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Blackjack program have completed critical milestone activities.
DARPA’s Space-BACN program envisions a low-cost, scalable optical communications terminal that can be reconfigured to work with various optical intersatellite link standards to enable communication among government and commercial LEO satellite constellations.
Mbryonics has been selected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the optical terminal for the Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program.
The X-65 is being built as a modular platform with wing sections and active flow control effectors designed to be easily swapped out to allow the aircraft to remain a test asset for DARPA and other agencies after CRANE concludes.
Dr. Richard Wlezien worked at DARPA on a program called Micro Adaptive Flow Control beginning in 1999 and left DARPA in 2003 after managing MAFC.
MBRYONICS was selected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop the optical terminal for the Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program.
DARPA’s Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program aims to deliver seamless communication between government and commercial LEO satellite constellations.
Mbryonics has been selected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the StarCom optical terminal for the Space-BACN program.
DARPA selected 14 companies to participate in the LunA-10 Capability Study.
CisLunar Industries was awarded a DARPA contract for the LunA-10 (The 10-Year Lunar Architecture) capability study.
ICON is one of 14 performers selected by DARPA through a competitive solicitation process for the LunA-10 study.
Firefly Aerospace was selected to develop an analytical framework for aggregated on-orbit spacecraft hubs in support of DARPA's 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study.
DARPA's LunA-10 seeks solutions for shareable, scalable systems that can be commercially available on and around the Moon by 2035.