SPACE-BASED JOINT SPECTRUM COHORT DELIVERS CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES FOR U.S. MILITARY ADVANTAGE

Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On May 1, 2025, six companies concluded their three-month Catalyst Accelerator journey with an on-site demonstration day at the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI). This event attracted over 80 subject matter experts from the community, including personnel from the Air Force, Space Force, Army, and other government agencies, as well as industry leaders and investors interested in the future of U.S. military technology. 

The Space-Based Joint Spectrum cohort marked the 14th Accelerator facilitated by CCTI. Selected for their technology and business readiness from a pool of over 20 applicants, the cohort began their Accelerator experience on January 28, 2025. The focus was on how the United States Space Force and Army could leverage emerging technologies in advanced Electromagnetic Warfare (EW), Satellite Communications (SATCOM), along with relevant supporting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities to enhance operational mission environments and maintain strategic advantage in contested domains.

Throughout the Accelerator, the companies received guidance from various subject matter experts, including Government Navigators and end-users, who provided insights into government space and army needs. Business experts assisted the cohort in pivoting their technology and corporate strategies to better position themselves in the government market. Additionally, Commercial Navigators from organizations such as American Systems, Axellio, Blue Sky Innovators, COLSA, Freedom Space, HawkEye 360, KBR, and Northrop Grumman offered valuable advice, consulting, and introductions to key contacts within both government and commercial sectors.

Demo Day, sponsored by TechnoMile, served as the culmination of the Space-Based Joint Spectrum Accelerator. This event showcased the final products of the cohort’s hard work, including the re-imagining of their technologies and the adaptation of their business models to meet the needs of the U.S. Government’s Space and Army initiatives. After an opening address by Lt Col Natasha Peeples, each cohort company delivered a brief pitch on their technology, followed by opportunities for attendees to connect with the small businesses individually. Shae Thomas, the Program Director for the Catalyst Accelerator, shared her thoughts on the event and expressed her gratitude to the participating companies. “What an honor is has been to spend the last three months with these fantastic companies! This was the Catalyst Accelerator’s first time partnering with the U.S. Army and U.S. Space Force on a shared topic, and I am thrilled with how well the cohort came together! Demo Day is an important event to bring together all our government and industry stakeholders. We so appreciate Lt Col Peeples’ keynote address and our gracious sponsor, TechnoMile, for making the event incredible!”

Cohort companies included:

Authentrics.ai (Knoxville, Tennessee) Authentrics.ai provides a patent-pending solution that works with existing AI/ML pipelines to directly measure, control, and explain AI through direct analysis of the neural-network and transformers enabling near real-time model health status, result attribution to release version, ability to correct/update past trainings without full-retraining, and perform meta-tuning and sensitivity analysis. These key functions greatly increase the ROI by bringing and keeping AI/ML systems operational faster and provide the resilience required in key/critical applications.
authentrics.ai 

Geist Robotics Inc. (Seattle, Washington) Geist Robotics is on a mission to democratize the protection afforded by electronic warfare. Geist specializes in low cost, highly portable air defense by non-kinetic means, providing vital protection against drones and airborne threats in locations where air defense is otherwise unavailable. The innovative EW solutions developed by Geist are further enabled by their AI planning software, providing an intuitive interface that simplifies the complexities of EW planning for effective deployment.
geistrobotics.com

Origami Space Development, Inc. (Berthoud, Colorado) At Origami Space, we fold big capability into small satellites. Leveraging generative design and machine learning, our deployable RF and LiDAR architectures set new standards in satellite communications and intelligence. Origami Space is developing smart, agile, and resilient satellite systems, paving the way for expanded reach and precision, critical for commercial applications and national security.
origamispace.com

Orion Edge Group (Denver, Colorado) Orion Edge Group is dedicated to advancing innovative and effective navigation warfare solutions for the warfighter. Our vision enables precise and advanced navigation warfare operations at the tactical level to help to ensure electromagnetic spectrum dominance across multiple domains. Orion Edge provides low cost, low power, and low probability of detection solutions that help to protect the warfighter and deconflict interference across the navigation spectrum. With novel radio frequency techniques and mission engineering expertise, Orion Edge offers a proliferated and modular EW solution across many different use cases.
orionedgegroup.com

Pulsar Space Systems LLC (Louisville, Colorado) At Pulsar Space Systems, we measure the ionosphere’s response to solar inputs. We envision ubiquitous measurements of the ionosphere in multiple orbital regimes with in-situ plasma and neutral density instruments, addressing stated DoD and NASA observation gaps.
pulsarspacesystems.com 
  
Spin Drift Technologies (Midvale, Idaho) Spin Drift Technologies is enabling low probability of intercept / low probability of detection communications by pioneering data transfer outside of traditional radio, microwave, or infrared spectrums to meet the demands of the modern electronic warfare environments. Ability to transfer updated battle plans, intelligence documents, weather reports, operation manuals, targeting data, and scientific data in fully denied environments.
www.sdtmil.com

About Catalyst Accelerator

The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate and United States Space Force’s Catalyst Accelerator is a NewSpace-focused defense and national security industry accelerator, headquartered on the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)3) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and investors intersect with Colorado’s aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation, and stimulate business growth.

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• Space-Based Joint Spectrum Cohort

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