MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Muon Space has secured a $1.9 million Direct-to-Phase II (D2P2) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from SpaceWERX to adapt its commercial remote sensing technology for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) missile defense architecture.
Announced Dec. 9, the award tasks Muon Space with developing a defense-specific variant of its Quickbeam™ multispectral electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payload. Originally designed for environmental monitoring and thermal detection, the modified payload will be optimized for Missile Warning and Missile Tracking (MW/MT) applications within the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
Payload Adaptation
The contract focuses on evolving the Quickbeam architecture to meet the high-sensitivity requirements of national security missions. While the commercial version of the payload monitors global thermal shifts for climate applications, the defense variant will leverage the same scanning architecture to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic threats.
By utilizing a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) baseline, the program aims to reduce the cost and lead time associated with deploying resilient optical sensors in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Defense Sector Momentum
This award follows a sequence of significant defense contracts for the California-based manufacturer. In October, Muon Space received a Phase III Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement worth $44.6 million to deploy three environmental monitoring satellites for the U.S. Space Force. That agreement also utilized the Quickbeam payload, highlighting the dual-use nature of the company’s core technology stack.
Additionally, the company closed a $146 million Series B financing round in June to scale production of its Halo™ satellite platform, which was selected for the SDA’s Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit (HALO) pool in late 2024.
“This Direct to Phase II SBIR award validates our approach of adapting proven commercial space technology for critical defense applications,” said Jonny Dyer, CEO of Muon Space. “Our Quickbeam payload has already demonstrated its effectiveness in global thermal detection, and now we’re excited to enhance it for missile warning and tracking missions.”
The effort is managed by SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, which focuses on transitioning commercial technologies into operational military capabilities.