Space Force Expands Space-Based Air Tracking Vendor Pool to 12 Companies

The U.S. Space Force has widened its vendor pool for the nascent space-based air moving target indicator program to 12 companies, with three additional firms now visible on public-facing websites. Blue Origin, Boeing and Umbra are now listed as SB-AMTI vendors, an expansion that underscores how broad and competitive this early phase of the program remains.

The SB-AMTI program aims to track moving airborne targets from orbit, a capability historically flown on aircraft. Moving airborne targets from space is a difficult technical problem, and the effort could reshape how the military conducts airborne surveillance, potentially reducing reliance on crewed and uncrewed aircraft.

The three newly revealed vendors signed contracts on June 2. Their addition brings the total vendor pool to 12 companies. The growing list indicates the program is still in a broad, competitive early phase, with the Space Force assembling a wide bench of participants before narrowing the field.

The expanding vendor pool signals that the Space Force wants a wide range of options before it selects winners. A crowded field of 12 companies reflects the early, still-competitive nature of the effort to move a traditionally airborne surveillance mission into orbit.

The key milestone to watch is the first down-select, the point at which this crowded field narrows and the program takes shape as a defined competition.