The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary research and development center for the Department of the Air Force, playing a key role in developing warfighting technologies for air, space, and cyberspace. As an integrated lab, AFRL supports both the Air Force and the Space Force, providing solutions ranging from satellites and rocket fuel to advanced materials and manufacturing processes. AFRL partners with organizations like NASA, other government agencies, academia, and industry to conduct research, develop technologies, and test new concepts for space-based capabilities, including space weather observation and data transport. Key areas of focus include space vehicles, rocket propulsion, directed energy, and advanced materials for aerospace systems.
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The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded BAE Systems a $7,800,000 contract to develop tightly integrated machine learning software for the Multi-Sensor Exploitation for Tactical Autonomy (META) program.
Hughes and OneWeb are performing the Thule project under a $3,400,000 contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory.
BlueHalo was awarded a contract to deliver a pair of optical laser communications proto-flight terminals and a ground station to demonstrate on-orbit processing of satellite positioning and timing for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base.
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s directed energy division has an annual budget of $355,000,000.
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s directed energy division has 1,200 employees.
BlueHalo won an $11,000,000 contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a pair of optical laser communications terminals and a ground station for on-orbit experiments.
Under a 2017 Small Business Innovation Research contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, Roccor developed a deployable L-band antenna that can receive and transmit Link 16 signals via satellite.
California is partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base to allow private space companies to share and utilize legacy testing infrastructure.
Phase Four is performing thrust measurements with a Maxwell engine adapted to operate on iodine under an Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored program.
Work on the $750,000, 15-month contract between Skyline Nav AI and the Air Force Research Laboratory began in March 2022.
AFRL’s rocket lab based at Edwards Air Force Base, California, is soliciting information and comments from industry on their ability to meet future responsive launch missions and to identify specific investments in technology that would improve responsive capabilities.
AFRL described a scenario involving deployment of up to five small spacecraft in different orbits using multiple vehicles to provide new capabilities to the warfighter with minimal to no warning to the adversary.
In 2020 the AFRL rocket lab signed an agreement with ABL Space Systems to jointly develop and test rocket propulsion components for future use in launch vehicles.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and ABL Space Systems are collaborating to demonstrate rapid launch system operations from nontraditional sites.
ABL and AFRL partnered with the 2nd Space Launch Squadron and 412th Test Wing for the first demonstration activity.
AFRL is testing the self-sufficiency of these systems and evaluating the training time for skilled operators.
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Viasat a $10,000,000 contract in 2019 to integrate a cubesat with a Link 16 communications terminal.
The completed Viasat vehicle will be delivered to the Air Force Research Laboratory in the summer of 2022.
The Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory site on Maui is owned by the University of Hawaii and hosts the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Maui Optical Station (AMOS).
AFRL and the Space Force created the Unified Data Library, a cloud-based platform hosting space situational awareness data from commercial, academic, and government organizations.