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U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

US
gov defenseFounded 1958
United States
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All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

The Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) project was announced as a NASA–DARPA partnership in January 2023 at the AIAA SciTech Forum.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Org RelationshipJul 21, 2025Making a new case for space nuclear power

DARPA encountered infrastructure barriers for ground testing DRACO's nuclear thermal propulsion technology.

Mentioned as: DARPATechnical ProductJul 21, 2025Making a new case for space nuclear power

NASA and DARPA set a goal to launch and demonstrate a nuclear thermal engine as soon as 2027 for the DRACO project.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Org RelationshipJul 21, 2025Making a new case for space nuclear power

NASA and DARPA partnered on the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) project in January 2023 to demonstrate nuclear thermal propulsion.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Org RelationshipJul 21, 2025Making a new case for space nuclear power

SpaceLogistics is using the NRL-developed robotic arms for the MRV under a partnership with DARPA.

Mentioned as: DARPAOrg RelationshipNov 14, 2024Northrop Grumman eyes 2026 launch of robot-armed satellite servicer

DARPA awarded BAE Systems’ FAST Labs a $4,000,000 contract for Phase 1 of the Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program.

Mentioned as: darpaOrg RelationshipSep 11, 2024BAE Systems awarded million$ from DARPA for tactical autonomy program

A 2021 test conducted with the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency used different optical terminals that did not comply with the current SDA standard.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Org RelationshipSep 4, 2024SpaceX satellites with Tesat terminals achieve first laser data exchange for U.S. military

DARPA’s AIR program will improve government-provided baseline models’ speed and predictive performance to better match Department of Defense systems’ real-world performance.

Mentioned as: DARPATechnical ProductJul 15, 2024Lockheed Martin awarded contract to develop AI tools for DARPA

DARPA awarded Lockheed Martin a $4,600,000 contract to develop AI tools for dynamic airborne missions under the Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Org RelationshipJul 15, 2024Lockheed Martin awarded contract to develop AI tools for DARPA

ExoTerra’s Halo Hall-effect thrusters fired in orbit for the first time in 2023 on DARPA Blackjack Aces satellites manufactured by RTX subsidiary Blue Canyon Technologies.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Narrative GeneralJun 20, 2024ExoTerra raises $8 million to boost propulsion system production

Redwire received a DARPA contract to serve as the prime mission integrator for the Otter program to develop an air-breathing satellite that demonstrates novel electric propulsion in very low Earth orbit (VLEO).

Mentioned as: DARPATechnical ProductJun 17, 2024Redwire Awarded DARPA Prime Contract for SabreSat Spacecraft Very Low-Earth Orbit Demonstration

Electric Propulsion Laboratory Inc. has a DARPA Otter contract with a maximum value of $6,700,000 to further development of its Air Breathing ELectric (ABEL) engines.

Mentioned as: DARPATechnical ProductJun 17, 2024Redwire wins contract for VLEO demonstration

Amentum has a proven track record of research and development, systems engineering, and test support for multiple US Defense agencies, including DARPA, the Air Force, Navy, and Army.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Narrative GeneralJun 17, 2024Amentum to deliver hypersonic tech & capabilities to UK Ministry of Defence

Phase Four has a $14,900,000 DARPA Otter contract for an air-breathing electric propulsion system for extended satellite operations at altitudes ranging from 90 to 450 km.

Mentioned as: DARPATechnical ProductJun 17, 2024Redwire wins contract for VLEO demonstration

Redwire has a contract dated 2024-06-17 to serve as prime mission integrator for a DARPA satellite with a novel propulsion system for very low Earth orbit (VLEO).

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Org RelationshipJun 17, 2024Redwire wins contract for VLEO demonstration

GITAI has been awarded the 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study contract by DARPA.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Narrative GeneralJun 13, 2024GITAI Announces Selection for NASA SBIR

Slingshot Aerospace partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to create Agatha, an AI-enabled system for identifying potentially harmful space vehicles within large satellite constellations.

Mentioned as: Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyOrg RelationshipJun 5, 2024DARPA harnesses AI to keep tabs on space weapons, spy satellites on orbit

Slingshot Aerospace won a DARPA contract of undisclosed value after submitting a white paper in response to a Broad Agency Announcement.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)NoiseJun 5, 2024Slingshot unveils AI that spots satellite anomalies and potential bad actors

Agatha was developed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Narrative GeneralJun 5, 2024Slingshot unveils AI that spots satellite anomalies and potential bad actors

Aurora’s concept is designed to meet or exceed DARPA's challenging program objectives.

Mentioned as: U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Narrative GeneralMay 21, 2024Aurora’s latest X-Plane design speeds ahead
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