What’s better than being able to launch satellites quickly to orbit? Having them there already—or so goes the thinking behind a new $60 million Space Force contract to develop an “orbital carrier.”
Gravitics received a Strategic Funding Increase award from SpaceWERX, an innovative arm of the Space Force, worth up to $60 million “to demonstrate and fly the Orbital Carrier, a groundbreaking solution for tactically responsive space,” the company announced Wednesday.
The carrier will be able to “pre-position multiple maneuverable space vehicles” to quickly respond to threats on orbit, the company said. The Space Force has been on the hunt for “tactically responsive” capabilities so the service doesn’t have to wait for long launch times to get new satellites on orbit.
“The Orbital Carrier is a game-changer, acting as a pre-positioned launch pad in space. It bypasses traditional launch constraints, enabling space vehicle operators to rapidly select a deployment orbit on-demand,” Gravitics CEO Colin Doughan said in the announcement. The Seattle-based firm builds large space structures, including commercial space station modules and spacecraft for cargo logistics.
The contract for an orbital carrier comes as the Space Force pushes for more resources to achieve control of the domain, a mission Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman has dubbed “space superiority.”
The announcement did not specify when a demonstration might take place, or what specific capabilities the carrier would have, but SpaceWERX has said its Tactically Responsive Space program will provide the Space Force with new capabilities that can quickly respond to new threats in space by 2026.
This program has also been driving down launch times through its “Victus” program, which started with the Victus Nox launch in 2023—sending a satellite to space just 27 hours after receiving orders.
