JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Redwire Corporation has secured a $20 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct additional testing and experimentation under the agency’s Otter program, the company announced on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026.
The award funds a precursor flight test in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) using a scaled-down version of Redwire’s SabreSat spacecraft, adding a second flight mission to the program and lifting total announced DARPA Otter funding to $64 million.
Low-Altitude Operational Rationale and Threat Tracking
Operating in VLEO—the orbital band below 300 kilometers—provides defense payloads with closer proximity to surface targets, improving optical and radio frequency resolution while enabling rapid revisit cadences. Military planners also view the low-drag orbital regime as vital for continuous tracking of maneuvering hypersonic glide vehicles. However, operating at these altitudes subjects spacecraft to severe atmospheric drag and atomic oxygen degradation, requiring specialized aerodynamic vehicle contours and continuous propulsive compensation.
Otter Program Phased Flight Architecture
The new award expands upon Redwire’s $44 million DARPA Otter contract awarded in late 2025 for full-scale spacecraft manufacturing and delivery. Rather than proceeding directly to full-scale orbital operations, the added funding establishes a phased flight test sequence. The scaled-down precursor spacecraft will collect in-situ aerodynamic and atmospheric data that cannot be replicated in ground test facilities, mitigating flight risks ahead of the primary demonstration.
Scaled SabreSat Air-Breathing Propulsion Specifications
Serving as prime mission integrator, Redwire is developing the spacecraft using an aerodynamically contoured derivative of its SabreSat Orbital Drone:
- Air-Breathing Propulsion: Ingests atmospheric molecules in the upper thermosphere to fuel an electric propulsion thruster, overcoming orbital decay without depleting fixed onboard propellant tanks.
- Structural Integration: Features minimal cross-sectional drag profiles and surface treatments designed to withstand corrosive atomic oxygen exposure.
Risk Mitigation Milestones and Mission Execution
“This flight test allows us to gather data that cannot be fully recreated on the ground, learn faster, and reduce risk for the full Otter mission,” said Spence Wise, Redwire Senior Vice President of Missions and Platforms.
While launch arrangements and target orbital insertion windows for the precursor flight were not disclosed, telemetry gathered from the scaled demonstrator will refine Redwire’s multi-physics simulation models before the full-scale Otter spacecraft deploys into VLEO.
