In a historic achievement, scientists from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are leading the first, non-domestic, Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and companies located outside the U.S. This signing marked the U.S. Space Force’s first non-domestic CRADA with any industry partner.
The two Indian startups, 114AI, an AI firm that builds dual-use software for domain awareness, and 3rd ITECH, India’s sole image sensor company, will work in partnership with AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate. The CRADA will foster collaborative efforts in cutting-edge technologies, marking a significant milestone in advancing innovation in Earth observation sensors and space domain awareness.
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Indian Ministry of Defense launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) on June 21, 2023, to expand the strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between our governments, businesses, and academic institutions. This initiative builds on a commitment by the U.S. and Indian National Security Advisors in January of 2023 to launch an “Innovation Bridge” to connect U.S. and Indian defense start-ups as part of the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET). India’s Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) are leading INDUS-X activities for MoD and DoD, respectively.
The Joint Statement from the United States and India emphasized the establishment and launch of the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem, or INDUS-X, a network-fostering joint defense technology innovation between the two country’s universities, startups, industry and think tanks as part of the U.S.-India initiative on critical and emerging technology (iCET).
INDUS-X includes various short-, mid- and long-term goals. Short-term goals involve joint challenges, academic partnerships, mentor-protégé programs, a senior adviser group, or SAG, and think tank roundtables. Mid-term goals include an accelerator program for defense startups, collaboration with major defense firm supply chains and the establishment of innovation and testing labs for startups. In the long term, the goals include an Indo-U.S. Joint Innovation Fund, easing regulations for cross-border development and trade and standardization of certifications for technology startups.
The signing of the CRADA and the broader INDUS-X initiative align with AFRL’s partnerships and the Space Vehicles Directorate’s mission to develop the latest in space component technology and transition to provide space-based capabilities to the nation.
“I have had the pleasure of meeting with many companies and universities while in India and am consistently impressed by the talent of the country’s engineers and scientists, and eagerness to collaborate with our Space Force. It is exciting when mutually beneficial collaborations, such as this agreement with 114AI and 3rd iTECH, are signed to advance the state-of-the-art in space domain awareness and Earth observation sensor technologies.” — Merrick Garb, commercial, civil and interagency partnerships Branch Chief, Global Partnerships Directorate, Headquarters Space Force, Pentagon
“This CRADA represents a significant step forward in our quest to push the collaborative boundaries of space technology. By bringing together the best minds and resources from different nations, we can achieve breakthroughs with mutually beneficial results. We are very appreciative to the entire team that worked to make this happen, including Vrinda Kapoor and Vinayak Dalmia at 114AI and 3rd iTECH, Merrick Garb at Headquarters Space Force, and Melissa Ortiz, tech transfer agreements specialist lead Space Vehicles Directorate.” — Dr. Wellesley Pereira, mission area lead for Space Information Mobility, Space Vehicles Directorate, AFRL
Dr. Jaime Stearns, researcher and lead for the topic development for the accelerator, space domain awareness at AFRL, said she was “thrilled” when 114AI joined AFRL’s Space Domain Awareness Accelerator a few years ago as the first international participant and added that all learned together how to start bringing international companies into the Space Force ecosystem.
Story authored by Jessie Perkins, Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs