Umbra joins STRATFI initiative to build advanced defense satellite network
Umbra joins STRATFI initiative to build advanced defense satellite network by Clarence Oxford Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 15, 2025 Umbra has been chosen to participate in the Department of the Air Force's Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) initiative, led by SpaceWERX, to help accelerate the delivery of next-generation space technologies to the Department of Defense and allied partners. A vertically integrated space technology firm, Umbra will collaborate with defense stakeholders to develop a new class of spacecraft focused on wide-area surveillance capabilities. The STRATFI program, part of the broader Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) effort, connects commercial innovators with defense agencies and investment partners to drive mature technologies toward operational deployment. With support from organizations such as the Space Development Agency (SDA), Umbra is positioned to leverage STRATFI's matching fund structure to unlock as much as $60 million in development funding, pending contractual arrangements and private co-investment. In parallel, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) will provide targeted research and development funding over a three-year period to advance Umbra's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capabilities as part of the STRATFI engagement. These funds aim to accelerate the integration of commercial space technologies into DoD mission planning. Umbra intends to use the funding to design and deploy a new generation of satellites engineered to deliver expansive SAR coverage for maritime and open-ocean search operations. The constellation will support tip-and-cue tasking capabilities for U.S. Combatant Commands, with particular emphasis on enhancing situational awareness in the Indo-Pacific. The system will build on Umbra's experience in formation flying, bistatic SAR, and moving target detection to deliver cost-effective, agile solutions for defense users. "We're proud to have the opportunity to take this additional step to provide our mission-critical capabilities directly to the warfighter at a time when speed of acquisition is paramount," said Dr. Bonnie Kean, Director of Mission Solutions at Umbra. "For the past four years, we have been dedicated to serving DoD customers and remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering innovative, reliable, and high-performance satellite solutions that strengthen national security." Umbra's leadership in SAR technology has already demonstrated its operational value, with recent advances including bistatic imaging from tandem satellites. The company plans to build on these achievements by developing a cooperative satellite architecture to support wide-area monitoring and dynamic threat detection. This STRATFI-supported effort is expected to accelerate the path from research to real-world deployment, ensuring that new national security tools reach U.S. forces and allies with greater speed and impact. Related Links Umbra Military Space News at SpaceWar.com The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.