Space-Based Interceptor Program Taps SciTec for Golden Dome Architecture
AI Defense Firm Among 12 Companies Sharing Up to $3.2 Billion in Space Force OTA Agreements
Princeton, N.J.-based AI defense software company SciTec has been selected by U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to help build the space-based interceptor layer of the nation’s emerging Golden Dome missile defense architecture.
“SciTec has always focused on delivering the technologies that strengthen decision advantage, and this agreement allows us to continue that work at a pivotal moment for national defense.”
David Simenc,SciTec
SciTec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, received an Other Transaction Authority agreement to support the Space Based Interceptor program, established under the Department of Defense to develop and demonstrate a space-based missile defense capability integrated into the Golden Dome for America architecture by 2028.
Space Force awarded 20 OTA agreements worth up to $3.2 billion collectively to 12 companies, including SciTec, to develop next-generation space-based tracking systems and advanced interceptors integrated with artificial intelligence. The interceptor constellation is designed to counter the speed, maneuverability, and lethality of advanced missile threats from adversaries.
“We’re proud to contribute our proven AI-powered defense technologies to our nation’s critical Golden Dome program and honored by the trust placed in our team,” said SciTec president David Simenc. “SciTec has always focused on delivering the technologies that strengthen decision advantage, and this agreement allows us to continue that work at a pivotal moment for national defense.”
SciTec has supported the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community for more than 45 years, delivering high-fidelity sensing, data fusion, and mission-critical software solutions across missile defense, space domain awareness, and national security missions. The company’s capabilities span AI-enabled defense software along with cloud-based, on-premises, and edge processing architectures, with proven operational use in missile warning and defense; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; remote sensing and analysis; and autonomous command and control.
The Golden Dome for America initiative is the Trump administration’s flagship effort to build a layered, integrated missile defense shield drawing on ground-, sea-, and space-based systems. The space-based interceptor layer is intended to provide persistent global coverage and early intercept capability against ballistic and maneuvering missiles during boost and midcourse flight phases, before they can reach their targets.
The OTA contracting mechanism is a flexible authority designed to accelerate technology development outside the traditional Federal Acquisition Regulation process, reducing the time between prototype and fielded operational capability. By spreading 20 agreements across 12 companies, Space Force is pursuing a competitive prototyping strategy intended to test multiple technical approaches before selecting architectures for full development and eventual deployment.
For SciTec, the award builds on a long institutional track record with missile defense and space surveillance programs. The company’s focus on data fusion and high-fidelity sensing software positions it to contribute to both the tracking and command-and-control layers needed to integrate a space-based interceptor constellation with broader national missile defense infrastructure.
SciTec’s integration into Firefly Aerospace’s portfolio links the software company’s defense capabilities to the parent company’s hardware development and space launch operations. Firefly has developed a small-to-medium-lift launch vehicle family, along with lunar landers and orbital vehicles built around common flight-proven technologies and has demonstrated the ability to launch satellites to orbit on approximately 24-hour notice — a capability with direct relevance to responsive national security space operations.
The 2028 demonstration milestone set by the program will require rapid development timelines from all participating companies. Deploying a constellation of interceptors in orbit requires not only advanced propulsion and kill-vehicle technology, but also sophisticated sensor fusion, tracking algorithms, and real-time command software of the type SciTec has long delivered to government customers.