AFWERX, the catalyst for fostering innovation within the U.S. Air Force, recently announced that Slingshot Aerospace is one of the top participating teams selected from The AFWERX Space Challenge initiative to exhibit at EngageSpace, a virtual two-day event that will occur from September 29-30, 2020.
The AFWERX Space Challenge initiative is made up of four challenges targeted at creating integrated space operations leveraging the best in technology while maintaining security, being resilient and increasing agility. Four challenges were run concurrently focused on separate topics – Persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), DoD Commercial Space Partnerships, Global Space Transport and Delivery and Space Asset Resiliency.
Located in Austin, Texas, and El Segundo, California, Slingshot Aerospace is competing in the Persistent ISR Challenge alongside a diverse group of teams that represent entrepreneurial startups, small businesses, large enterprises, academic institutions and research labs.
The Persistent ISR Challenge strives to bring together the existing and future technology solutions to create a comprehensive ISR system that spans the globe.
By identifying an accurate pattern of life, space analysts and operators can recognize abnormal behavior, determine intent, and protect assets in a rapidly changing and complex environment. Slingshot Orbital will provide behavior prediction and identify abnormal activities so organizations such as the United States Space Force can proactively mitigate risks.
Executive Comments
“The solutions submitted for these space challenges represent the bleeding edge of space innovation,” said Brennan Townley, AFWERX Challenge Collaboration Lead. “We’re excited to highlight these innovators and connect them with opportunities across the Space ecosystem.”
Slingshot Aerospace’s Charlie McGillis, VP of Business Development (Government and Space), pitched the company’s Slingshot Orbital product for the Persistent ISR Challenge. Slingshot Orbital is a first of its kind “air traffic control system for space. It is the only product on the market today that enables real-time space domain awareness by aggregating information from commercial and government data sources and applying advanced analytics and machine learning to characterize space objects, detect threats, and enable confident decision making while identifying inconsistencies among sources.
“Working with the United States Air Force to maintain space superiority and space flight safety is imperative for protecting our way of life,” said Melanie Stricklan, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Slingshot Aerospace. “Slingshot Aerospace’s participation in the AFWERX Space Challenge helps advance our vision of helping teams perceive the past with more clarity, comprehend the present faster, and predict the future with greater precision to create a safer, more sustainable world.”