US Space Force Secures EraDrive Autonomy Modules in $13M APFIT Deal
EraDrive lands a $13 million DoD award to supply Era-Node autonomy modules, enabling satellites to navigate and coordinate without constant ground-link commands.
Terminal Access: EraDrive Procurement Protocol
Palo Alto-based startup EraDrive has secured a $13 million award from the U.S. Department of Defense to supply its Era-Node vision-based autonomy modules. According to Payload, the funding originates from the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, a vehicle designed to bypass traditional R&D delays and move directly into hardware acquisition.
Operational Capability
The Space Force intends to integrate these modules to mitigate downlink bottlenecks and enable operations in GPS-denied environments. Unlike conventional "scripted" autonomy—where satellites execute a static list of ground-sent commands—the Era-Node architecture allows operators to define a mission "envelope." Within these parameters, the spacecraft maintains the agency to make real-time decisions.
Validated Architecture
While the integrated Era-Node hardware has yet to reach orbit, its internal software stack, Era-Core, has a documented flight heritage. EraDrive has successfully executed seven experiments aboard NASA’s Starling satellites. These tests demonstrated the system’s ability to:
Identify and track high-velocity kinetic targets.
Autonomously cue adjacent satellites to maintain visual contact.
* Coordinate sensor networking for fleet-level Space Domain Awareness (SDA).
Lawrence Robertson, the Air Force lead for space experiments, noted that the APFIT selection allowed the company to move from selection to contract within a single fiscal year. CEO Sumant Sharma views the technology not as a niche tool, but as a unified stack capable of handling navigation, SDA, and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) as singular facets of the same autonomous intelligence.