Space RCO Names Companies to Join Business Accelerator on Space Asset Resilience

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office has chosen six companies to join the 2023 iteration of Hyperspace Challenge, a business accelerator directed by Central New Mexico Community College-owned nonprofit CNM Ingenuity and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Hyperspace Challenge’s 2023 program cohort comprises Dawn Aerospace, High Earth Orbit Robotics, Lexset .ai, Magdrive’s Harwell Innovation Campus, Phase Four, and TRL11, CNM said Thursday.

The companies are expected to meet with Space RCO officials to discuss partnerships and learn about the capabilities needed to build more resilient space assets. In a press release, CNM explained that disruptions to such assets could impact public safety and economic stability as countries grow increasingly reliant on space-based communications and data services.

The Space RCO seeks products to enhance threat awareness, space analysis, vehicle autonomy and vehicle maneuverability.

Hyperspace Challenge’s 2021 iteration saw startups and university teams receive a combined $100,000 to develop technology such as electric propulsion systems, on-orbit servicing neural networks and an artificial intelligence-powered edge computing router.