US Space Force awards 6 contracts for space monitoring — Breaking Defense

In the United States, the Space Force announced the award of the first six operational contracts under the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) initiative. The program provides for engaging commercial companies in monitoring outer space. As Breaking Defense reports, the agreements are short-term and are intended to help assess military demand for such services.

Contracts for six companies

The total value of the six contracts is $1.37 million. They were awarded to Australia’s EOS Space Systems, Canada’s NorthStar Earth and Space, InTrack Radar, Anduril through its acquisition of ExoAnalytic, Slingshot Aerospace, and LeoLabs.

The contracts were awarded through the U.S. General Services Administration mechanism, which the Joint Commercial Operations cell uses to procure commercial data and services. According to industry sources, such agreements usually last no more than six months.

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Plans and unresolved issues

CASR is conceived as a space equivalent of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, under which commercial airlines can be engaged in military logistics when needed. It is expected that in wartime, commercial space companies will be able to rapidly increase the provision of satellite-enabled capabilities.

In March 2025, the Commercial Space Office awarded $1.1 million for three-month pilot contracts with four unnamed companies. These agreements were intended to test contracting procedures and the CASR framework agreement, rather than to obtain operational data.

At the same time, the Commercial Space Office has yet to resolve a number of legal and financial issues. These include the U.S. government’s right to halt partners’ provision of services to other customers during a conflict and possible compensation to companies for losses if their satellites are damaged or destroyed.