Cyberspace Warfare for Space

The USSF’s defensive cyber operations mission is focused on the rapid integration of capabilities into the Defensive Cyber Warfare (DCW) pipeline to address unique and complex cybersecurity requirements for space systems. This effort aims to enable the scaling of current DCW systems for widespread protection and to improve USSF operational readiness. Modernizing Defensive Cyber Warfare for Space requires shifting from fragmented, reactive security to a cohesive, intelligence-driven posture that spans from the commercial supply chain to the orbital edge. This initiative is seeking to build a unified defense ecosystem where AI-enhanced vetting ensures the integrity of hardware and software long before deployment. Once operational, agile data architectures will seamlessly normalize complex telemetry across hybrid networks, fueling advanced machine learning engines to autonomously detect and intercept threats in real time. The focus areas should optimize the existing IT environment to minimize cost and maximize efficiency. By extending these lightweight, resilient safeguards directly onto spacecraft and disconnected ground infrastructure, and validating them through hyper-realistic, immersive training environments, this initiative aims to equip cyber operators with a decisive, end-to-end advantage against advanced adversaries. The initiative is organized around eight primary focus areas to address critical technical challenges: 1. Focus Area #1: Lightweight and Cloud-Agnostic Data Ingest - Develop a cohesive, high-throughput data ingestion solution for on-premises and cloud environments that is infrastructure-agnostic. 2. Focus Area #2: Defensive Cyber Warfare Systems - Proactive Software Assurance and Malware Detection - Deliver automated security vetting for third-party software, generating Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) and conducting risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities. 3. Focus Area #3: On-Orbit Space Vehicle Cyber Defense and Monitoring - Seek software-based capabilities with minimal Size, Weight, and Power (WaP) for advanced on-satellite monitoring and autonomous response directly on Space Vehicles. 4. Focus Area #4: Immersive Space Cyber Test Environment - Establish high-fidelity test platforms, integrating simulated assets like digital twins and ground systems for operator training. 5. Focus Area #5: Adaptive Data Parsers and Transformation Engine - Build adaptive engines capable of universally ingesting and normalizing diverse data types into standardized formats for DCW analytics. 6. Focus Area #6: AI-Driven Cyber Threat Detection - Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for behavior-based threat detection to identify anomalies across multi-domain data sources in bandwidth-constrained environments. 7. Focus Area #7: AI-Driven Digital Supply Chain Illumination and Risk Management - Deliver analytical tools providing deep, multi-tier visibility to dentify threats ranging from cyber risks to geopolitical vulnerabilities. 8. Focus Area #8: Portable Edge Cyber Defense Kit - Deliver self-contained, plug-and-play kits for threat detection and response in disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DIL) environments.

Program: SBIR, Phase I and Phase II Agency: Department of War, Air Force Topic number: DAF26BX06-DV512 Solicitation: 26.BX Released September 2, 2026; proposals accepted from September 23, 2026 Closes October 21, 2026. Check the official solicitation for the exact due time. Award type: contract, not a grant. Official solicitation: https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/ Listed on SBIR.gov: https://www.sbir.gov/topics/13013. SBIR.gov copies agency solicitations and can lag behind them; the official solicitation is the final word.

Small businesses only: a for-profit US business with 500 or fewer employees, including affiliates.

More than 50% owned and controlled by US citizens or permanent residents (some agencies also accept majority ownership by venture capital, hedge fund or private equity firms; the solicitation says).

SBIR: the principal investigator is primarily employed by the business. STTR: the business partners with a US nonprofit research institution or university, which does at least 30% of the work.

Registered in SAM.gov before submitting.

Check the official solicitation for its own conditions, proposal limits and security review.