Photo: SpiderOak

SpiderOak has won a new U.S. government contract as it looks to help the U.S. Space Force take advantage of commercial satellite capabilities. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) selected SpiderOak to enhance the Space Force’s ability to integrate commercial satellite networks during emergencies.

SpiderOak received a Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) to develop a secure, automated control plane for the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) program. SpiderOak announced the contract win on Feb. 6.

The CASR program, managed by Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office, seeks to ensure the USSF has immediate access to commercial satellite capabilities during peacetime and crises, for flexible surge capacity to meet increased mission demands when needed. SpiderOak said its technology will address the need to automate and secure the activation and coordination of commercial assets in real time, for collaboration between government and commercial partners.

“This effort represents a forward-leaning approach to bridging commercial and military capabilities, creating a reliable and efficient framework for operational continuity during emergencies. SpiderOak’s solution leverages our existing policy enforcement and secure distributed ledger technology to ensure trust, transparency, and accountability in CASR activation scenarios,” Matthew Erickson, vice president of Solutions for SpiderOak, said in a statement.