Muon Space Secures Direct to Phase II Award Supporting Space Development Agency's Missile Warning and Tracking Mission

The project adapts Muon's proven infrared payload for national security applications, offering enhanced resilience, faster deployment, and lower cost for SDA's Tracking Layer.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Muon Space, a leading provider of end-to-end space systems specializing in mission-optimized satellite constellations, today announced it has been awarded a $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct to Phase II (D2P2) contract by SpaceWERX to support the Space Development Agency's (SDA) efforts to enhance missile warning and tracking (MW/MT) capabilities in low Earth orbit.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX, have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and now Muon will continue its journey to provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

Under this award, Muon will develop a novel variant of its multispectral electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payload for SDA. Muon's solution leverages its proven Quickbeam^™ scanning payload architecture, originally designed for global thermal detection, and adapts it for high-sensitivity MW/MT applications with enhanced resilience and cost-effectiveness.

"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. By leveraging commercial innovation and our scalable platform architecture, we can deliver enhanced resilience and cost-effectiveness to SDA."

Muon's payload will feature advanced infrared sensing capabilities and a dynamic scanning architecture designed to mitigate emerging threats. By leveraging commercially available detector technologies with faster production timelines, the system enhances resilience and improves overall deliverability.

Key enhancements under this contract include tuning the sensor architecture for improved performance in key spectral bands, optimizing filter design for mission-specific needs. Muon's scalable XL-class platform can accommodate multiple sensors, enabling near-persistent global coverage at lower cost and risk compared to traditional systems.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end space systems company that designs, builds, and operates mission-optimized satellite constellations to deliver critical data and enable real-time compute and decision-making in space. Its proprietary technology stack, Halo^™, integrates advanced spacecraft platforms, robust payload integration and management, and a powerful software-defined orchestration layer to enable high-performance capabilities at unprecedented speed – from concept to orbit. With state-of-the-art production facilities in Silicon Valley and a growing track record of commercial and national security customers, Muon Space is redefining how critical Earth intelligence is delivered from space.

For more information on Muon Space, visit: https://www.muonspace.com/ 

About the Space Development Agency
As part of the U.S. Space Force, SDA is recognized as DOD's constructive disruptor for space acquisition. SDA will accelerate delivery of needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. For more information on SDA, contact [email protected] or visit https://www.sda.mil.

About SpaceWERX
As the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX, SpaceWERX inspires and empowers collaboration with innovators to accelerate capabilities and shape our future in space. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SpaceWERX employs 40 military, civilian and contractor personnel executing an annual $457 million budget. Additionally, SpaceWERX partners with Space Systems Command's Commercial Space Office (COMSO) as a collaborative program. Since it was aligned under AFRL in Aug. 2021, SpaceWERX has executed 906 contracts worth more than $690 million to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.spacewerx.us.

About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.

About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace forces. With a workforce spanning across nine technology areas and 40 other operations around the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

SOURCE Muon Space