Scout Space and Slingshot Aerospace Awarded NASA SBIR Phase I to Advance Autonomous Space Traffic Management Technology
RESTON, VA, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Scout Space Inc., a leader in space domain awareness and autonomy technologies, and Slingshot Aerospace, a leading provider of AI-powered space data, analytics, and simulation solutions, have been awarded a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract to develop a groundbreaking autonomous Space Traffic Management (STM) system. This program is focused on autonomously tasking both ground and space targets in order to track high value assets and likely collisions better, while also allowing spacecraft to autonomously avoid collisions. This award is part of NASA’s broader $44.85 million investment in early-stage technology development through its SBIR and STTR programs, supporting 299 small business teams across the United States.
Scout Space’s selected proposal addresses a critical challenge in orbital operations: the increasing risk of spacecraft collisions caused by the rapid proliferation of satellites and orbital debris. Traditional, ground-based tracking systems are hindered by latency, coverage limitations, and growing operator workload. Scout’s proposed solution brings a paradigm shift in how space traffic is managed.
The company’s STM system fuses on-orbit optical sensors with real-time onboard collision analysis algorithms to enable spacecraft to autonomously assess risk and initiate self-protective maneuvers without waiting for human intervention. Scout enhances its capabilities through the integration of Slingshot’s Global Sensor Network (GSN) and advanced space domain analytics, creating a next-generation ground/space tracking system that delivers a unified, dynamic view of the orbital environment.. This cooperative approach delivers more precise conjunction analysis and enables resilient, autonomous risk mitigation in dynamic orbital environments.
“Scout and Slingshot are building a space traffic management architecture to enhance awareness and safety on orbit, scale with the growing orbital population, and reduce human-in-the-loop time," said Jordan Maxwell, Scout’s Director of Research & Development and principal investigator for the project. “Our approach deploys cooperative autonomous agents that react rapidly to adverse scenarios to ensure consistent safety and awareness throughout the near-Earth environment.”
“This collaboration combines Scout’s on-orbit autonomy with Slingshot’s AI-powered space data and analytics to create a truly adaptive, resilient space traffic management framework,” said Tim Solms, CEO, Slingshot Aerospace. “By fusing ground and space-based sensing with intelligent tasking, we’re enabling faster decisions, improved safety, and greater operational advantage in the increasingly contested space domain.”
About Scout Space
Scout Space Inc. is a nontraditional contractor and small business that was founded in 2019 with the goal of delivering autonomous intelligence and security across all orbital regimes in the face of an increasingly dangerous space environment. The company is developing and deploying a family of in-space sensors to perform in-orbit collection, processing, exploitation, and provide autonomy capabilities in support of counter space and space sensing mission areas. This on-orbit processing delivers mission-critical and actionable intelligence within a space-to-space sensing domain, and demonstrates novel exploitation approaches. All systems leverage our proprietary flight software and AI, which can also be deployed on non-Scout sensors. For more information, visit www.scout.space.
About Slingshot Aerospace
Slingshot Aerospace provides AI-powered space data, analytics, and simulation solutions that strengthen satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and mission readiness for defense and commercial operators. By fusing data from its Global Sensor Network, the Seradata database, and trusted partners, Slingshot delivers a unified, dynamic view of the space domain—past, present, and predicted—enabling faster decisions, enhanced resilience, and operational advantage in contested environments. Founded in 2017, Slingshot operates with offices in the US, UK, Canada, and Taiwan, with a mission to make space safe, sustainable, and secure.
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Scout Space’s selected proposal addresses a critical challenge in orbital operations: the increasing risk of spacecraft collisions caused by the rapid proliferation of satellites and orbital debris. Traditional, ground-based tracking systems are hindered by latency, coverage limitations, and growing operator workload. Scout’s proposed solution brings a paradigm shift in how space traffic is managed.
The company’s STM system fuses on-orbit optical sensors with real-time onboard collision analysis algorithms to enable spacecraft to autonomously assess risk and initiate self-protective maneuvers without waiting for human intervention. Scout enhances its capabilities through the integration of Slingshot’s Global Sensor Network (GSN) and advanced space domain analytics, creating a next-generation ground/space tracking system that delivers a unified, dynamic view of the orbital environment.. This cooperative approach delivers more precise conjunction analysis and enables resilient, autonomous risk mitigation in dynamic orbital environments.
“Scout and Slingshot are building a space traffic management architecture to enhance awareness and safety on orbit, scale with the growing orbital population, and reduce human-in-the-loop time," said Jordan Maxwell, Scout’s Director of Research & Development and principal investigator for the project. “Our approach deploys cooperative autonomous agents that react rapidly to adverse scenarios to ensure consistent safety and awareness throughout the near-Earth environment.”
“This collaboration combines Scout’s on-orbit autonomy with Slingshot’s AI-powered space data and analytics to create a truly adaptive, resilient space traffic management framework,” said Tim Solms, CEO, Slingshot Aerospace. “By fusing ground and space-based sensing with intelligent tasking, we’re enabling faster decisions, improved safety, and greater operational advantage in the increasingly contested space domain.”
About Scout Space
Scout Space Inc. is a nontraditional contractor and small business that was founded in 2019 with the goal of delivering autonomous intelligence and security across all orbital regimes in the face of an increasingly dangerous space environment. The company is developing and deploying a family of in-space sensors to perform in-orbit collection, processing, exploitation, and provide autonomy capabilities in support of counter space and space sensing mission areas. This on-orbit processing delivers mission-critical and actionable intelligence within a space-to-space sensing domain, and demonstrates novel exploitation approaches. All systems leverage our proprietary flight software and AI, which can also be deployed on non-Scout sensors. For more information, visit www.scout.space.
About Slingshot Aerospace
Slingshot Aerospace provides AI-powered space data, analytics, and simulation solutions that strengthen satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and mission readiness for defense and commercial operators. By fusing data from its Global Sensor Network, the Seradata database, and trusted partners, Slingshot delivers a unified, dynamic view of the space domain—past, present, and predicted—enabling faster decisions, enhanced resilience, and operational advantage in contested environments. Founded in 2017, Slingshot operates with offices in the US, UK, Canada, and Taiwan, with a mission to make space safe, sustainable, and secure.
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Courtney Sayles
Scout Space Inc
courtney.sayles@scout.space
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