SCOUT Space’s relationship with the DoD is about to get a boost.
The space safety and observation company announced on Thursday it acquired space security startup Free Space Inc. The move will enable SCOUT Space to strengthen its relationship with the DoD as well as the intelligence industry. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“With a high market demand for our on-orbit services and mission augmentation capabilities, this acquisition uniquely positions SCOUT to respond immediately to our government customers’ needs,” SCOUT Space CEO Eric Ingram said in a statement.
A new threat: The world is becoming more reliant on space to monitor climate change, facilitate financial transactions, and provide internet access. Viasat, for example, suffered a cyberattack on the eve of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
As private companies and governments around the world throw money toward ramping up space intelligence activities, these satellites have recently been pinpointed as targets for security attacks. Free Space was established in 2022 to tackle that issue.
Free Space has managed to nab ~$1.5M in Space Force contracts to develop cybersecurity solutions for the space industry. The company developed autonomy software platforms Guardian Satellite and Trellis Satellite, which SCOUT will utilize.
What’s next?: Gil Valdes and Vin Bisceglia, the two Free Space founders, will take on new executive roles at SCOUT. Valdes is the new VP of government programs, while Bisceglia will be the company’s VP of growth.
“We are poised to accelerate disruptive new solutions that will usher in a new era of vision-based autonomy and SDA solutions,” Bisceglia said in a statement.
The news comes just a month after SCOUT announced it closed a seed round led by Decisive Point, which invests heavily in the security and airspace industries.
