When it comes to hypersonic missiles and the trusted microelectronics that make them (and other military tools) so effective, we're losing the battle to China. CIA Director William Burns called the Chinese government "the most important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st century."

The Additive Manufacturing for Technology Protection prototype project selected six performers through the S²MARTS OTA. Powered by NSTXL, S2MARTS is the DoD’s premier rapid OT contracting vehicle for flexible acquisition in trusted microelectronics, strategic & spectrum mission, and other critical mission areas.

On 13 September 2021, the Defense Health Agency Virtual Education Center was awarded through the Training and Readiness Accelerator OTA. After a review of vendor submissions and selected demonstrations, NetImpact Strategies Inc. was awarded the DHA VEC prototype project.

In this exclusive interview with S2MARTS Director, Brooke Pyne, we dive into the brand new OTA called S2MARTS Research. Brooke helps to cover the ins and outs of S2MARTS Research, discussing what makes the OTA so unique, how much membership costs, and much more.

5G is the newest generation in wireless network technology with speeds 10x faster than 4G, and in some areas being up to 100x faster. Telecommunications companies are frantically racing to increase their 5G coverage, but why are countries also competing to dominate this new, contested spectrum space?

On September 30, 2021, pLEO Data Exploitation and Enhanced Processing (DEEP) prototype was awarded to Slingshot Aerospace through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) OTA vehicle managed by NSTXL. The DEEP prototype automates manual human data exploitation techniques, and delivers finished user-friendly products at low latencies.

The Precise Space Flight Experiment has been awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to Tyvak Nano Satellite Systems, Inc. This prototype, released through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC), will develop a spacecraft for new Very Low Earth Orbit missions with a plan to launch in 2024.

On 15 September 2021, the Radio Frequency Generation (RFGEN) Subsystem Development and Integration (SDI) Prototype Effort was awarded through the TReX OTA by the Army Contracting Command – Orlando. The prototype project was officially awarded to Amherst Systems Inc - A Northrop Grumman Corporation located in Williamsville, NY.

The Neptune Payload prototype project has been awarded through the S2MARTS OTA to design and prototype a subminiature multi-mission RF payload for the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division. The project was awarded to teams from Lockheed Martin, D-TA, and Epiq Design Solutions.

The S2MARTS OTA, managed by NSTXL, has been awarded authority allowing the consortium to carry out basic, applied, and advanced research projects in accordance with 10 U.S.C. §4021– (formerly 2371), in addition to their existing agreement for prototype projects under 10 U.S.C. §4022– (formerly 2371b). This award marks a huge milestone for the S2MARTS OTA and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, as now both research and prototype projects can be accomplished under one OTA framework.

On August 10, 2021, the Beyond 3D prototype project OTA was awarded to CAE USA Mission Solutions Inc (CAE MSI) through the Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX) OTA vehicle. Through this award, following a virtual Project TalX and Innovator NetworX event, one of our most robust teaming rosters to date came to fruition with CAE USA as the prime with 11 sub-vendors.

We are excited to welcome the 600th member to the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC)! The exponential growth of the SpEC network continues to pioneer the next generation of space technology and capabilities to support modern-day missions. Designed as an alternative to traditional contracting vehicles, the SpEC OTA helps fast-track research initiatives and prototype development, increasing speed to award by nearly 40%.