Microsoft to Develop HoloLens-Based Augmented Reality Environment for Space Force

Microsoft has secured a potential four-year, $19.8 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to continue developing an augmented reality space simulation environment built on HoloLens technology.

The service branch will use the Integrated, Immersive, Intelligent Environment to train, test emerging capabilities and interact with digital reproductions of space-based objects, including satellites and planets in the solar system, DefenseScoop reported.

Shannon Pallone, the SSC’s program executive officer for battle management command, control and communications, said the tool is just one of the Space Force’s digital environment projects. Pallone, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, said the I3E will enhance the service branch’s situational awareness and decision-making.

The Space Force said it plans to make the school accessible anywhere through a virtual desktop.

According to Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader at the SSC’s Commercial Space Office and a speaker at the upcoming 2024 Space Summit, connecting various locations through a digital ecosystem will provide Guardians with an “unrivaled experience to better understand the space domain.”