AFRL, Space Force to Collaborate With Indian Startups on Space Technologies

New Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, or CRADAs, between the U.S. Space Force and two Indian companies were announced by the Air Force Research Laboratory on October 26.

The partnerships are with 3rd Itech, an image sensor provider and manufacturer of computer chips, integrated circuits, and other semiconductor technologies, and artificial intelligence company 114AI, which creates dual-use software for space domain awareness.

These are the first CRADAs that the Space Force has with foreign businesses. The Space Vehicles Directorate at AFRL and the firms will collaborate to promote "innovation in Earth observation sensors and space domain awareness," according to AFRL.

The Biden administration's effort to encourage collaborative technology development with India includes the CRADAs. In June, the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) was unveiled by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Indian Ministry of Defense. Its goal is to unite academic institutions, entrepreneurs, and think tanks to collaborate on cutting edge technology.

Last year, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, a defense contractor based in the United States that produces cutting-edge unmanned aircraft for the Pentagon, established strategic alliances with both 114AI and 3rd Itech.

“I have had the pleasure of meeting with many companies and universities while in India and am consistently impressed by the talent of the country’s engineers and scientists, and eagerness to collaborate with our Space Force,” said Merrick Garb, head of the Global Partnerships Directorate at the U.S. Space Force.

He said the agreements with 114AI and 3rd Itech seek to “advance the state-of-the-art in space domain awareness and Earth observation sensor technologies.”

“This CRADA represents a significant step forward in our quest to push the collaborative boundaries of space technology,” said Wellesley Pereira, mission area lead for space information mobility at AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate.