Forward Edge-AI Awarded Phase I STTR Contract by the US Air Force for Space Communications Security (COMSEC)

Forward Edge-AI, Inc. (Forward Edge-AI) has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract by the US Air Force/AFWERX to meet a national Defense-related information resilience mission in the area of Space Communications Security (COMSEC).

Space COMSEC is a high-cost, critical asset needed to operate in the space environment and for ground nodes that link to space assets. Due to low volume production quantities and high assurance design requirements, Space COMSEC products can range in price from $10K per unit to $2M per unit. And according to Markets and Markets, the small satellite market worth is expected to grow to $7.4 billion by 2026.

“Leveraging commodity off-the-shelf parts and autonomous artificial intelligence software, we are able to meet quantum-resistant security requirements of the exploding space industry, and at a cost that is 98 percent lower than current cryptographic systems that can only protect against classical attacks, ” said Eric Adolphe, Forward Edge-AI’s CEO. “Space is the next frontier for cybersecurity.”

The STTR Program is a highly competitive awards-based program that provides qualified small business concerns with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet the specific Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) needs of the Federal Government.

Both the House and Senate voted to reauthorize the program for five years through the SBIR & STTR Extension Act of 2022.

Source: Forward Edge-AI media announcement