Air Force awards Outpost development contract for a scalable earth return vehicle

Air Force awards Outpost development contract for a scalable earth return vehicle
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 30, 2024
Outpost Technologies Corporation (Outpost), a leader in multi-ton Earth return systems aimed at advancing the space economy, has been awarded a $33.2 million, four-year Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract by the Air Force Ventures program (AFWERX). This funding will support the development and testing of a scalable heat shield, payload bus, and paragliding system as part of the Joint Precision Orbital Cargo (J-POC) space vehicle, which is designed to facilitate hypersonic testing and reentry missions. The selection was announced on August 22nd at Fed Supernova 2024, a prominent defense event in Austin, TX, with project work slated to commence later this year.

The AFWERX award will back four key missions of Outpost's Ferryall Earth-return vehicle and advance the development of the larger Outpost Carryall vehicle, capable of returning up to 10 tons of cargo to Earth. The inaugural launch of this system is planned for the end of 2026.

Jason Dunn, Founder and CEO of Outpost, expressed his enthusiasm about the project: "This AFWERX STRATFI program will directly contribute to protecting the lives of our military personnel, by delivering supplies and payloads through space. We eliminate the need for aviators to fly through dangerous airspace with this technology. Outpost's innovative approach ensures that our members on the ground remain connected to the critical logistics and supply lines they rely on, all while minimizing risk to our forces."

Dunn further highlighted the significance of the technology: "Outpost has worked to develop a scalable heat shield and autonomous atmospheric paraglider that enables Earth return of multi-ton cargo from space. This is a game changer in our ability to support the government in hypersonic testing and reentry missions by providing a regular cadence of Earth return to collect valuable hypersonic data necessary to enable future DoD capabilities. Additionally, this program will enable myriad private manufacturing of materials in space, such as fiber optic cable, which will tremendously benefit our lives on Earth."

Recently, Outpost announced additional contracts, including a $1.25 million Space GARAGE (Global Asset Resupply And Gear Enhancement) Direct To Phase 2 contract with the Air Force. This contract focuses on developing the capability to use Ferryall and Carryall for warehousing cargo in orbit, enabling just-in-time delivery anywhere on Earth. The Space GARAGE program will enhance Outpost's re-entry technology, supporting the government's warfighter by maintaining logistics and supplies in hard-to-reach locations worldwide.