DAF STTR DAF26TX06-NV514: Space Domain Operational Environment Assessment
Quick Answer
DAF26TX06-NV514 is a Department of the Air Force STTR Phase I topic under the DAF FY26 STTR Commercial Solutions Opening, Release 6. The Space Force wants methods to monitor and assess the space operating environment using sensing phenomenologies outside the traditional radar and electro-optical telescope set, paired with real-time multi-intelligence data processing, predictive analytics, and anomaly detection. The premise is stated bluntly in the topic: traditional sensing alone cannot track or characterize emergent non-standard threats, and current research neglects space-centric operational environment monitoring. Awards are up to $175,000 for a period of performance up to 6 months, with a 10 page technical volume limit. The topic opens September 23, 2026 and closes October 21, 2026 through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal.
Two features shape how you should approach this. First, the topic splits into two distinct Technical Areas, and they attract different companies: TA1 is sensing hardware and phenomenology, TA2 is data fusion and analytics software. Pick one. Second, this is the tightest page limit and one of the smallest awards in the entire DAF Release 6 portfolio. Ten pages and six months at $175,000 is a proof-of-concept study. The topic says so, and it repeats four times that government furnished equipment will not be provided.
Topic At a Glance
Topic number: DAF26TX06-NV514
Title: Space Domain Operational Environment Assessment
Solicitation: Department of the Air Force FY26 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), Release 6, Phase I Proposal Submission Instructions
Program: STTR, which requires a research institution partner as a condition of the program
Program type: Phase I
Award maximum value: $175,000
Award maximum duration: 6 months
Technical volume page limit: 10 pages
Component Technology Priority Area: Space Technology
Projected CMMC level requirement: Level 2 (Self)
Export control status: Restricted under ITAR 22 CFR Parts 120-130 and EAR 15 CFR Parts 730-774
Technical Areas: two, TA1 sensing phenomenology and TA2 data fusion and analytics
Government furnished equipment: none. The topic states GFE will not be provided, four separate times
Required proposal template: the topic directs applicants to the template titled "Space FY26 SBIR Phase I Proposal Template"
Minimum work performed in house: two-thirds of the research or analytical effort
Subcontract and consultant cap: one-third of total contract price, profit excluded
Technical and Business Assistance: up to $6,500 per Phase I award
Topic open date: September 23, 2026
Proposal deadline: October 21, 2026, at the time stated in the DoW FY26 STTR CSO
Selection timeline: within approximately 90 calendar days of solicitation close, meaning on or about January 19, 2027
Submission portal: DSIP at dodsbirsttr.mil
Keywords: multi-phenomenology sensing, spacepower, deterrence, indications and warning, object tracking, real-time data processing, novel sensor design, data dissemination, space domain, information exploitation, space domain awareness, space operational environment assessment, space operational environment
Note on the deadline time. The DAF instructions direct offerors to the DoW FY26 STTR CSO for the proposal submission deadline date and time rather than restating it. DoW deadlines are ordinarily 12:00 p.m. Eastern on the close date. Confirm the exact time on the live DSIP topic posting and do not plan around an end-of-day deadline.
Note on the template. The instructions require all applicants to complete their Volume 2 Technical Volume using the template provided at the DSIP supporting documents page, titled "Space FY26 SBIR Phase I Proposal Template." That title says SBIR while this is an STTR solicitation, which appears to be a carryover from the parallel SBIR instructions. Download whatever template that link provides and use it, and if the naming causes confusion, ask the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk during the open period.
STTR Means You Need a Research Institution Partner
This is an STTR topic, and the defining feature of the STTR program is a formal partnership between a small business concern and a research institution. That is not optional and it is not a subcontract of convenience.
Worth knowing up front: the Air Force component-specific instructions for this release do not restate the STTR partnership mechanics. They describe proposal format, cost volume detail, evaluation criteria, and foreign risk assessment, all of which read nearly identically to the parallel SBIR instructions, but they do not spell out the work split or the allocation of rights. Those requirements live in the DoW FY26 STTR Program CSO and the SBA SBIR/STTR Policy Directive.
Under the STTR statute and the SBA Policy Directive, the work is divided between the small business and the research institution according to statutory minimums, with the small business performing at least 40 percent and the research institution at least 30 percent of the total effort, and the principal investigator may be primarily employed by either organization. Read the DoW STTR CSO for the current terms and for the written agreement and allocation-of-rights requirements.
There is a tension worth flagging. These Air Force instructions state that for Phase I a minimum of two-thirds of the research or analytical effort must be performed by the awardee, and separately cap all consultant fees, facility lease or usage fees, and other subcontract or purchase agreements at one-third of the total contract price. A two-thirds in-house floor sits awkwardly against an STTR structure that contemplates a research institution performing at least 30 percent of the work. Those two framings can be reconciled depending on how effort and cost are measured, but the arithmetic is not obvious, and on a $175,000 award one-third is roughly $58,000 for everything flowing to your research institution partner plus any consultants.
This is the single most important question to resolve during the open period. Ask the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk how the two-thirds performance of work requirement and the one-third subcontract cap apply to an STTR award with a required research institution partner, and note that the instructions provide a Performance of Work deviation process that must be used twice, once before submission during the open period and again with the initial proposal submission.
What the Space Force Is Actually Looking For
The strategic framing
With the acknowledgement of space as a warfighting domain in 2019, U.S. Space Command was established as a geographic combatant command. The topic states that no orbital regime is entirely safe from intentional or unintentional threats, and that adversary forces can track and target U.S. forces in all warfighting domains. The past two decades have witnessed rapidly maturing space based and counterspace capabilities of U.S. adversaries, as well as their attempts to interfere with U.S. military operations. U.S. operational space activities perform a continuous cycle of situational awareness, planning, execution, and assessment to support leadership's decision-making process at all levels of command.
Space Domain Operational Environment Assessment is described as a prerequisite to achieving space superiority by understanding the situation in space and by gaining insight into space-related activities in other domains.
The scale problem is quantified. Even in peacetime, awareness and mission assessment in the space domain is difficult to maintain due to the scope and distances involved. Achieving timely awareness and assessment of space activities to support space superiority operations is described as a monumental, highly technical challenge that is only growing. The past 20 years has seen the number of objects in orbit grow from approximately 10,000 to over 50,000. As that number grows, so does the need for timely space domain awareness and situation assessment.
Given the complexity and challenges of operations in space, this topic seeks to develop a proof-of-concept to leverage multi-intelligence, multi-domain data, intelligence, and information sources to monitor and assess space operations and their functionality in a timely manner in response to intentional and unintentional threats and situations of interest.
The objective
The objective of this Phase I effort is to develop methods, including integration of intelligence information, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, threat prediction, and environmental monitoring, for timely space domain awareness, threat detection, and operational environment assessment to support multi-domain operations.
The gap statement follows immediately, and it is the most useful sentence in the topic. Traditional sensing alone cannot track or characterize emergent non-standard threats, and current research neglects space-centric operational environment monitoring. To address these gaps, the U.S. Space Force seeks novel sensing phenomenologies paired with real-time multi-intelligence data processing, predictive analytics, and anomaly detection concepts that demonstrate how new sensing and processing techniques can present a comprehensive space operating picture.
Note the pairing. The Space Force wants novel phenomenologies and the processing that makes them useful. That pairing is why the topic has two Technical Areas.
Technical Area 1: Real-time Processing of Non-Traditional Phenomenologies for Non-Standard Threats
The space domain is becoming increasingly congested and contested as the population of satellites is both increasing and expanding. The emergence of non-standard threats in the space domain poses a challenge for traditional phenomenologies such as radars and electro-optical telescopes. Today's non-standard threats are increasingly difficult to detect, track, and characterize. The Space Force must possess the capability to monitor the space domain for nonstandard threats in order to protect national assets.
This topic seeks to identify new sensing phenomenologies and the processes necessary to detect, track, and characterize non-standard threats. Additionally, the Space Force needs to understand how these new phenomenologies complement and improve information products generated by traditional phenomenologies.
That last requirement is easy to miss and important. You are not being asked to replace radar and optical telescopes. You are being asked to show how a new phenomenology complements and improves what those systems already produce. A TA1 proposal that positions itself as a substitute rather than a complement is answering the wrong question. The reference list gives a hint about the kind of thing the Space Force has in mind: one of the cited AMOS Conference papers concerns probabilistic initial orbit determination and object tracking in cislunar space using passive radio frequency sensors.
Technical Area 2: Real-Time Automated Data Fusion, Analysis and Exploitation
Joint space forces typically support multiple Combatant Commands, joint functions, and Operational Environments simultaneously to create effects during all military operations at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Joint planners continually coordinate across internal and external equity holders to integrate intelligence and information for commander guidance and decisions on the development and refinement of space strategies, plans, and objectives. The timely assessment of space operations is critical for the iterative joint planning process, especially in a contested environment, and must keep pace with evolving conditions and considerations.
The topic then names the hard part specifically. This can be challenging in the space domain where operators often cannot directly observe the effects of an operation and resulting adversary behavior.
Space operations assessment measures the progress toward accomplishing a task, creating an effect, achieving an objective, or attaining an end state by comparing forecasted outcomes to actual events to determine the overall effectiveness of force employment. As planners identify specific space tasks, they also develop measures of performance and measures of effectiveness to assess each task and objective. Space operations assessment informs the decision-making process concerning the best way to employ and adapt limited resources in support of military operations.
Measures of performance and measures of effectiveness are joint planning terms of art, and their presence signals that TA2 is fundamentally an assessment problem framed in joint doctrine language, not a generic analytics problem. The Joint Publication references, 3-14 Joint Space Operations, 5-0 Joint Planning, and 3-60 Joint Targeting, reinforce that. If you propose in TA2, read those publications and use their vocabulary.
What Phase I requires, by Technical Area
TA1 Phase I. Identify non-traditional phenomenologies that can be used to perform space domain awareness collections. Investigate the technical challenges to exploiting the data from non-traditional phenomenologies for real-time SDA. Identify a collection strategy. Identify the benefits of leveraging the non-traditional phenomenology to complement and improve traditional phenomenologies. Define specific performance metrics and demonstrate how the approach enhances the defined metrics for tracking and characterizing targets. The offeror is expected to include a detailed plan outlining the development, testing, and integration of the proposed solution, including specific timelines and milestones. GFE will not be provided.
That is six distinct deliverable elements in ten pages. Phenomenology identification, exploitation challenges, collection strategy, complementarity benefits, performance metrics with demonstrated enhancement, and a development plan with timelines and milestones. Budget your pages before you write.
TA2 Phase I. Design a concept for a workable and scalable prototype to address the basic capabilities and technical feasibility of the stated objective as well as data and information sources and the timeliness of their solution. Identify non-traditional phenomenology and data sources. Define a set of metrics and success criteria for a Phase 2 prototype. Include detailed findings in a Phase II plan in the final report. GFE will not be provided.
Note that TA2 also asks you to identify non-traditional phenomenology and data sources, so a TA2 proposal cannot be entirely phenomenology-agnostic. And note that the Phase II plan with detailed findings goes in the final report, which makes the final report a substantive deliverable rather than a formality.
Phase II
TA1 Phase II. Research and develop technical solutions to address the technical challenges of the non-traditional phenomenology identified in the Phase I effort. Develop and demonstrate a simulation capability to generate simulated data for the non-traditional phenomenology. Perform SDA collections with the nontraditional phenomenology and investigate the collected data. Develop a framework for processing the non-traditional phenomenology. Develop a methodology to perform data fusion of the non-traditional phenomenology with traditional phenomenologies. Demonstrate an integrated prototype system or incorporation of new phenomenologies into an existing system. Demonstrate the ability to generate actionable information on relevant timelines through a simulation or deployment to a relevant environment. GFE will not be provided.
TA2 Phase II. Develop, implement and test the proposed Phase 1 solution as prototype software to assess space operations using multi-intelligence multi-domain data and information in a timely manner in response to events of interest and unintentional threats and their effects on space missions. Show the feasibility of the approach using modeling simulation and real-world data. GFE will not be provided.
Success criteria for Phase II, for both Technical Areas: demonstrated software prototype capability, with the demonstration measured against metrics and a concept of operations use case; ability to integrate outputs into operational workflows with minimal burden on users; and an achievable path to Phase III transition, including identification of customers, funding mechanisms, and required approvals.
Those three criteria are worth writing toward in Phase I even though they apply to Phase II. The phrase "minimal burden on users" in particular is a design constraint you can address early. And the third criterion asks for named customers, funding mechanisms, and required approvals, which is the transition work you should be starting during Phase I.
Phase III
Further develop and deploy the prototype capabilities developed under Phase II. Develop a strategy to transition prototype residual capabilities and incremental proliferation based on operational Space Force requirements. Mature prototype software into a commercial product for commercial space domain awareness. Identify government and commercial organizations for transition. Generate the technical and training documentation required for third party integration. Provide services to the government to maximize the utility of the alerts to operations. Provide services to the government to update software prototype for different applications.
The topic states that it promotes dual-use opportunities to provide health and operational status of commercial satellites and their services in relation to adversaries' actions. That is your commercial market statement, handed to you: commercial satellite operators who want to know whether something is happening to their assets.
The reference list
Eight references, and the mix tells you what kind of literacy the evaluators expect.
Joint doctrine: Joint Publication 3-14 Joint Space Operations (2023), Joint Publication 5-0 Joint Planning (2020), and Joint Publication 3-60 Joint Targeting (2021), all Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Space Force doctrine: United States Space Force, "Spacepower," Space Capstone Publication, Headquarters United States Space Force, June 2020.
Think tank analysis: Galbreath, C.S., 2025, "A Broader Look at Dynamic Space Operations: Creating Multi-Dimensional Dilemmas for Adversaries," Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; and Reeves, J., 2025, "Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative," Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Technical papers: J. O'Farrill, T. Mims, T. Janik and I. Fernandez, "Multi-Phenomenology Characterization of Space Objects Using Reinforcement Learning," AMOS Conference, Wailea, HI, 2022; and E. Griggs, M. Schierholtz, I. Hussein, M. Bolden, K. Charles and H. Borowski, "Probabilistic Initial Orbit Determination and Object Tracking in Cislunar Space Using Passive Radio Frequency Sensors," AMOS Conference, Wailea, HI, 2022.
Half the list is doctrine. That is unusual for a technical SBIR or STTR topic and it is a strong signal: this topic is authored by people who think in joint planning terms, and a proposal written purely in engineering language will read as disconnected from the mission. The two Mitchell Institute papers from 2025 are also worth reading, since dynamic space operations and cross-domain space superiority are the operating concepts the topic is built around.
Funding Allowance and Cost Structure
Award ceiling and what it buys
Up to $175,000 across up to 6 months. The topic index states that proposals in excess of this amount will not be considered for evaluation or award, and proposals in excess of this duration will not be considered for evaluation or award.
The instructions add that any per-award or per-topic funding caps are budgetary estimates only and more or less funding may become available. Multiple procurements are planned and anticipated to be awarded as a result of the topic, each proposal is considered a separate procurement and will be evaluated on its own merit, and the Government may award all, some, or none of the proposals. Funding decisions are made with complete disregard to the other awards under the same topic.
At $175,000 across six months, with a research institution partner taking a share and a one-third cap on what can flow outside your company, the working budget inside your own firm is modest. Scope a study, not a build. The topic is consistent with that: TA1 asks you to identify, investigate, define, and plan, and TA2 asks you to design a concept and define metrics.
No government furnished equipment
The topic says GFE will not be provided four separate times, once in each of the four phase and technical area paragraphs. That repetition is deliberate. You cannot propose an approach that depends on access to government sensors, government data feeds, or government facilities. If your concept needs real space surveillance data, you need a commercial or academic source for it, and you should name that source.
Contract type
The DAF primarily makes SBIR Phase I and Phase II awards as firm-fixed-price contracts. Awardees are strongly urged to work toward a Defense Contract Audit Agency approved accounting system, since if the company intends to continue work with the Department of War an approved accounting system allows competition in a broader array of acquisition opportunities, including award of cost-reimbursement type contracts.
If no exceptions are taken to an offeror's proposal, the Government may award a contract without negotiations. Therefore the offeror's initial proposal should contain the offeror's best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint. If there are questions regarding the award document, contact the Phase I Contracting Officer identified on the cover page. The Government reserves the right to reopen negotiations later if the Contracting Officer determines doing so to be necessary.
Technical and Business Assistance
The Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act Section 7 mandates agencies to offer TABA, and the DAF will provide up to $6,500 for each Phase I award.
The STTR CSO Phase I instructions state this in a single sentence without the detailed provider documentation requirements that appear in the DAF BAA Phase I instructions. Because different DAF Release 6 documents handle TABA documentation differently, ask the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk during the open period what Phase I TABA documentation this cycle requires and where it belongs.
Cost volume requirements
Cost information should be provided by completing the Cost Volume in DSIP and including the Cost Volume Itemized Listing. The cost volume detail must be adequate to enable Air Force personnel to determine the purpose, necessity, and reasonableness of each cost element. The DSIP Cost Volume and Itemized Cost Volume Information will not count against the specified page limit, and the itemized listing may also be submitted in Volume 5 under the "Other" dropdown option.
That page-limit exclusion matters more here than anywhere else in the DAF portfolio, because ten pages is so tight. Push everything permitted into Volume 3 and Volume 5.
Direct cost materials. Justify costs for materials, parts, and supplies with an itemized list containing types, quantities, prices, and where appropriate purpose. Material costs may include raw materials, parts, subassemblies, components, and manufacturing supplies.
Other direct costs. This category includes but is not limited to specialized services such as machining, milling, special testing or analysis, and costs incurred in temporarily using specialized equipment. Proposals including leased hardware must include an adequate lease versus purchase justification. Commercial space surveillance data purchases, compute time, and observatory or sensor access all plausibly sit here, and given the no-GFE rule these may be significant.
Direct labor. Identify key personnel by name, if possible, or by labor category, if not. Direct labor hours, labor overhead or fringe benefits, and actual hourly rates for each individual are necessary for the Contracting Officer to determine whether these hours, fringe rates, and hourly rates are fair and reasonable.
Travel. Travel costs must relate to project needs. Break out travel costs by trip, number of travelers, airfare, per diem, lodging, and similar. The number of trips required, as well as the destination and purpose of each, should be reflected. The instructions recommend budgeting at least one trip to the Air Force location managing the contract.
Subcontracts. Involvement of university or other consultants in the project's planning or research stages may be appropriate. If so, describe in detail and include information in the Cost Volume. The proposed total of consultant fees, facility lease or usage fees, and other subcontract or purchase agreements may not exceed one-third of the total contract price or cost, with profit excluded from the calculation, unless otherwise approved in writing by the Contracting Officer. The SBIR funded work percentage calculation considers both direct and indirect costs after removal of the small business concern's proposed profit. Support subcontract costs with copies of executed agreements that adequately describe the work to be performed, and at a minimum include a Statement of Work with a corresponding detailed Cost Volume for each planned subcontract.
On an STTR award this is the clause to model first, since your research institution partner is by definition an outside organization and its costs count here.
Special tooling, special test equipment, and material. The inclusion of equipment and materials will be carefully reviewed relative to need and appropriateness to the work proposed. Special tooling and special test equipment purchases must, in the Contracting Officer's opinion, be advantageous to the Government and relate directly to the effort. These toolings or equipment should not be of a type that an offeror would otherwise possess in the normal course of business, and may include items such as innovative instrumentation or automatic test equipment.
Consultants. Provide a separate agreement letter for each consultant, briefly stating what service or assistance will be provided, the number of hours required, and the hourly rate.
Performance of work and location of work
For Phase I, a minimum of two-thirds of the research or analytical effort must be performed by the awardee. The DAF measures percentage of work by both direct and indirect costs, not including profit.
Occasionally the DAF will consider deviations from this performance of work requirement. Requests for Performance of Work deviations must be made twice: prior to submission during the topic open period, and as part of the initial proposal submission. For requests prior to the initial proposal submission, the DAF will consider the request and approve or disapprove requesting applicants to proceed with DSIP submission. Upon proposal receipt, the DAF will again consider such requests for approval for the resultant award.
Given the STTR partnership requirement discussed above, treat the pre-submission deviation request as a likely necessity rather than an edge case, and file it in the first week of the open period.
All R/R&D work must be performed in the United States. Based on a rare and unique circumstance, the DAF may approve a particular portion of the R/R&D work to be performed or obtained in a country outside the United States. The awarding Funding Agreement officer must approve each specific condition in writing. Applicants seeking this approval must make the request with their initial proposal submission, and the DAF will not consider these requests prior to proposal submission.
Export Control and Foreign Nationals
The technology within this topic is restricted under ITAR 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services including export of sensitive technical data, and the EAR 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items.
Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their countries of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work tasks intended for accomplishment by the foreign nationals in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised that foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under U.S. export control laws.
This deserves particular attention on an STTR topic. University research groups working in astrodynamics, orbit determination, and space surveillance are frequently staffed with international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and your research institution partner's personnel are inside the scope of this requirement. Request a complete roster with citizenship and visa status from your partner early, and resolve who can work on what before you finalize the statement of work.
If you are asserting export-controlled status, a copy of the certified DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, or evidence of application submission must be included in Volume 5. The form, instructions, and FAQs are available at the United States and Canada Joint Certification Program website. DD Form 2345 approval will be required if the proposal is selected for award.
Proposal Structure: The Seven Volumes
Complete proposals must include Volume 1 Cover Sheet, Volume 2 Technical Volume, Volume 3 Cost Volume, Volume 4 Company Commercialization Report, Volume 5 Supporting Documents, Volume 6 Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Training, and Volume 7 Disclosures of Foreign Affiliations or Relationships to Foreign Countries.
Volume 1, Cover Sheet
Complete the proposal Cover Sheet in accordance with the instructions provided via DSIP. The technical abstract should include a brief description of the program objectives, a description of the effort, anticipated benefits and commercial applications of the proposed research, and a list of keywords and terms.
The technical abstract of each successful proposal will be submitted to the Office of the Secretary of War for publication and therefore must not contain proprietary or classified information. If selected for funding, the proposal's technical abstract and discussion of anticipated benefits will be publicly released. On a topic concerning threat detection and non-traditional sensing, be deliberate about what the abstract says.
Volume 2, Technical Volume
All applicants must complete their Volume 2 Technical Volume proposal submission using the template provided at the DSIP supporting documents page, titled "Space FY26 SBIR Phase I Proposal Template."
Include a work plan outline in the following format. Scope, listing the effort's major requirements and specifications. Task Outline, providing a brief outline of the work to be accomplished during the Phase I effort. Milestone Schedule. Deliverables. Progress reports. Final report with SF 298.
The SF 298 is the Report Documentation Page that accompanies a technical report. It is named in the required outline, so plan for it rather than discovering it at closeout. Note also that for TA2, the topic requires detailed findings in a Phase II plan to be included in the final report, so your final report carries substantive content beyond a summary.
The technical volume page limit is 10 pages. Note that this is expressed as pages in the topic index rather than pages or slides, unlike most of the DAF Release 6 topics. Follow the template.
Ten pages is the binding constraint on this proposal. For TA1 you owe six named elements; for TA2, four. Neither fits comfortably. Two disciplines help. First, do not restate the topic back to the evaluators, who wrote it. Second, use the volumes that do not count: the Cost Volume, the Cost Volume Itemized Listing, and Volume 5 "Other" uploads are all excluded from the page limit.
Volume 3, Cost Volume
Covered above.
Volume 4, Company Commercialization Report
Completion of the CCR as Volume 4 of the proposal submission in DSIP is required. Refer to the FY26 STTR CSO for full details on this requirement. Information contained in the CCR will not be considered by the Air Force during proposal evaluations. Complete it for compliance.
Volume 5, Supporting Documents
Three documents may be required if applicable to your proposal. DD Form 2345, which applies to this export-controlled topic. Verification of Eligibility of Small Business Joint Ventures, Attachment 3 to the FY26 STTR CSO. Technical Data Rights Assertions, if asserting data rights restrictions.
Technical Data Rights Assertions deserve attention on an STTR award, where a research institution partner's background intellectual property and publication interests are in the mix alongside your own.
Volume 6, Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Training
Fraud, Waste and Abuse training material can be found in the Volume 6 section of the proposal submission module in DSIP and must be thoroughly reviewed once per year to proceed with proposal submission.
Volume 7, Disclosures of Foreign Affiliations or Relationships to Foreign Countries
Small business concerns must complete the Disclosures of Foreign Affiliations or Relationships to Foreign Countries webform in Volume 7 of the DSIP proposal submission. The disclosures will not be accepted as a PDF Supporting Document in Volume 5, and previous versions of this form must not be uploaded to Volume 5. For additional details, refer to the DoW SBIR Program CSO.
How Your Proposal Will Be Evaluated
The criteria, which are restated in this document
Proposals will be evaluated for overall merit in accordance with the criteria discussed below in descending order of importance. The DAF is seeking varying technical and scientific approaches and varying and new technologies that would be responsive to the problem statements and areas of interest in the topic. Multiple procurements are planned and anticipated to be awarded as a result of the topic, each proposal is considered a separate procurement and will be evaluated on its own merit, and the Government may award all, some, or none of the proposals.
Criteria A, most important. The soundness, technical merit, and innovation of the proposed approach and its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution, and the qualifications of the proposed principal and key investigators, supporting staff, and consultants. This includes whether the proposed cost elements are realistic for the work to be performed, reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and are consistent with the unique methods of performance and materials described in the technical proposal.
Criteria B, second. The degree of mission impact and the urgency of the identified need. The specificity of the defense requirement addressed. The adequacy of the proposed effort in fulfilling the research topic or subtopic solution.
Criteria C, third. The potential for commercial application in the Government or private sector and the benefits expected to accrue from that commercialization.
Note that unlike the DAF BAA documents in this same release, which point to the announcement for criteria, this CSO document restates them. That is a small mercy on a topic this tight.
Two implications. The phrase "toward topic or subtopic solution" is doing work here, because this topic has two Technical Areas. Name yours explicitly and frame progress against it. And cost realism sits inside the top criterion, which on a $175,000 six-month award with no GFE means your data access and analysis plan has to be affordable as described.
Foreign risk evaluation
15 U.S.C. 638 and the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act of 2026 require the Department of War, in coordination with the Small Business Administration, to implement a due diligence program to assess security risks presented by small business concerns seeking a federally funded award.
The DAF will evaluate all small business concerns that submit proposals under this release on whether the concern presents a security risk for any reason. The measures include the due diligence process required under 15 U.S.C. 638(vv), disclosures required under 15 U.S.C. 638(g) and (o), and coordination with the intelligence community as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003), federal law enforcement, and other counterintelligence capabilities of the United States Government.
The DAF will assess using a risk-based approach as appropriate: the cybersecurity practices; patent analysis; employee analysis; foreign ownership of a small business concern seeking an award, including the financial ties and obligations, which shall include surety, equity, and debt obligations, of the concern and employees of the concern to a foreign country, foreign person, or foreign entity; foreign affiliations of a covered individual, owner, or other key personnel of a concern with an entity in a foreign country of concern; investment relationships of a concern with an individual or entity in a foreign country of concern; technology licensing agreements or joint ventures, including joint venture like agreements, with an individual or entity in a foreign country of concern; and business relationships between a covered individual, owner, or other key personnel and an individual or entity in a foreign country of concern.
The DAF will also assess proposals utilizing open-source analysis and analytical tools for the nondisclosures of the information set forth in 15 U.S.C. 638(g)(13) or 638(o)(17), and examine any relationship of a concern seeking an award to any entity or individual included on the lists described in 15 U.S.C. 638(g)(16)(D) and 638(o)(20)(D).
If the DAF assesses that a concern has security risks, the DAF will review the proposal, the evaluation, and the security risks and may choose either to create a plan to mitigate the risks or to not select the proposal for award based upon a totality of the review.
Applicants will be required to disclose, under penalty of perjury, the representations, attestations, and certifications required under 15 U.S.C. 638(g)(13) and 638(o)(17), fulfilled by completing Volume 7. In addition, a written statement with any substantial changes to a foreign disclosure form must be provided to the awarding agency within 30 days of any changes while on a project for the DAF.
The DAF will not make an award if it determines the concern has an owner or covered individual that is party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program; has a business entity, parent company, or subsidiary located in the People's Republic of China or another foreign country of concern; has an owner or covered individual that has a foreign affiliation with a research institution located in the PRC or another foreign country of concern; or has a security risk connecting the concern to an entity, including any affiliates of the entity, or individual on any of the following: the UFLPA Entity List maintained by the Department of Homeland Security; the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control maintained by the Department of the Treasury; the Section 889 Prohibition List established under section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 and maintained by the Department of War; the list of Chinese Military Companies required under section 1260H of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and maintained by the Department of War; the Military End User List maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce; the Entity List maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security; the List of Equipment and Services maintained by the Federal Communications Commission; or the Withhold Release Orders and Findings List maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The DAF will also not make an award if it determines the concern has a security risk with a primary source that is classified or has a security risk the DAF determines warrants a denial.
If an award is denied on these grounds, the DAF will, as appropriate pursuant to its discretion and in a manner that does not compromise security, provide a notification advising the small business of the determination, the basis for the determination, and a statement that denial of award does not prohibit the concern from being eligible for an award in a subsequent award cycle. The same applies to denials under 15 U.S.C. 638(vv).
The foreign research institution affiliation provision is a mandatory denial, not a discretionary judgment, and it names research institutions specifically. On an STTR award with a required academic partner, this is a diligence item you must work through with that partner before you propose.
Venture capital, hedge fund, and private equity ownership
Small business concerns that are owned in majority part by multiple venture capital operating companies, hedge funds, or private equity funds are eligible to submit applications or receive awards for DAF topics.
Note that this differs from the DAF Release 6 BAA Direct to Phase II instructions, both the SBIR and STTR versions, which state that such firms are not eligible. The provision varies by document, so verify eligibility against the specific component instruction that governs the topic you are pursuing.
Support contractors, status, feedback, and protests
Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled for administrative purposes only by support contractors, which may include but are not limited to TEC Solutions, Inc., APEX, Oasis Systems, Riverside Research, Peerless Technologies, HPC-COM, Mile Two, Montech, Wright Brothers Institute, and MacB (an Alion Company). In addition, only Government employees and technical personnel from the FFRDCs MITRE and Aerospace Corporations working under contract to provide technical support to AF Life Cycle Management Center and Space and Missiles Centers may evaluate proposals. All support contractors are bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements. Contact the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer with concerns regarding the use of support contractors.
The Principal Investigator and Corporate Official indicated on the Proposal Cover Sheet will be notified by email regarding proposal selection or non-selection. Small businesses will receive a notification for each proposal submitted, so read each notification carefully and note the Proposal Number and Topic Number referenced.
Automated feedback will be provided for Phase I proposals designated Not Selected. Additional feedback may be provided at the sole discretion of the DAF.
Proposals submitted to the DAF are received and evaluated by different organizations, handled by topic. Each organization operates within its own schedule for proposal evaluation and selection, so updates and notification timeframes will vary. If contacted regarding a proposal submission, it is not necessary to request information regarding additional submissions.
The Air Force anticipates that all proposals will be evaluated and selections finalized within approximately 90 calendar days of solicitation close. Refrain from contacting the CSO Contracting Officer for proposal status before that time.
Refer to the DoW SBIR Program CSO for procedures to protest the Announcement. As further prescribed in FAR 33.106(a) and FAR 52.233-2, protests should be submitted to Air Force SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer Daniel J. Brewer. The DAF uses its best efforts to resolve concerns raised by interested parties at the contracting officer level through open and frank discussions, and for agency protests the DAF provides for inexpensive, informal, procedurally simple, and expeditious resolution of protests.
All final reports will be submitted to the awarding DAF organization in accordance with contract instructions. Companies will not submit final reports directly to the Defense Technical Information Center.
How Phase II works
DAF organizations may request Phase II proposals while Phase I technical performance is ongoing or at any time after the conclusion of the period of performance. This decision will be based on the awardee's technical progress, as determined by a DAF Technical Point of Contact review using the Phase II review criteria.
Phase II is the demonstration of the technology found feasible in Phase I. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to submit a Phase II proposal. All Phase I awardees will be sent a notification with the Phase II proposal submittal date and detailed Phase II proposal preparation instructions. If the physical or email addresses or firm points of contact have changed since submission of the Phase I proposal, correct information shall be sent to the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk. Phase II dollar values, performance periods, and proposal content will be specified in the Phase II request for proposal. Only one Phase II proposal may be submitted for each Phase I award.
The DAF reserves the right to modify the Phase II submission requirements, and should the requirements change, all Phase I awardees will be notified. The DAF also reserves the right to change any administrative procedures that will improve management of the DAF SBIR/STTR Program at any time.
Because the Phase II request can arrive while Phase I is still running and is based on demonstrated technical progress, producing substantive interim results rather than holding everything for the final report is worth planning for on a six month award.
Timeline and What to Do When
The dates
Topic opens: September 23, 2026
Proposal deadline: October 21, 2026, at the time specified in the DoW FY26 STTR CSO, ordinarily 12:00 p.m. Eastern. Confirm on DSIP.
Selections finalized: within approximately 90 calendar days of close, on or about January 19, 2027
Period of performance: up to 6 months from award
A working backward plan
Before September 23. Contact your research institution's sponsored programs office immediately and ask what their internal review timeline is, because that sets your real deadline. Resolve the STTR work split question with the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk: how the two-thirds performance of work requirement and the one-third subcontract cap apply with a required research institution partner. File the pre-submission Performance of Work deviation request if the arithmetic does not close. Download the proposal template from the DSIP supporting documents page. Choose your Technical Area. Read the doctrine, particularly JP 3-14 and JP 5-0, and the two Mitchell Institute papers. Identify your data source, since no GFE will be provided. Request a complete personnel roster with citizenship and visa status from your research institution partner. Start DD Form 2345 if you do not hold one. Complete Volume 6 training and verify SAM and DSIP alignment.
September 23 through October 3. Draft inside the template against the 10 page limit. Name your Technical Area on the first page. For TA1, structure around the six named elements. For TA2, structure around the concept design, the phenomenology and data source identification, and the Phase II metrics and success criteria. Get your partner's sign-off on anything describing their scope, people, or facilities.
October 4 through October 12. Build the cost volume and itemized listing, neither of which counts against the page limit, and use them for detail you cannot fit in ten pages. Get your research institution's formal budget with their federally negotiated rates in writing. Verify the one-third cap. Get separate agreement letters from each consultant and executed agreements with statements of work and detailed cost volumes for each planned subcontract. Include the recommended trip to the Air Force location managing the contract.
October 13 through October 16. Assemble Volume 5 with DD Form 2345 and Technical Data Rights Assertions, complete the Volume 7 webform, finish the Volume 4 CCR, and run compliance against the template and the 10 page limit. Confirm no proprietary or classified content in the technical abstract.
October 17 through October 19. Submit and certify in DSIP.
October 20 through October 21. Buffer only.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DAF STTR topic DAF26TX06-NV514?
DAF26TX06-NV514 is a Department of the Air Force STTR Phase I topic titled "Space Domain Operational Environment Assessment," released under the DAF FY26 STTR Commercial Solutions Opening, Release 6. It seeks methods, including integration of intelligence information, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, threat prediction, and environmental monitoring, for timely space domain awareness, threat detection, and operational environment assessment to support multi-domain operations.
How much funding is available under DAF26TX06-NV514?
Up to $175,000 for a period of performance up to 6 months. Proposals in excess of that amount or duration will not be considered for evaluation or award. Up to $6,500 in Technical and Business Assistance is available for each Phase I award.
When is the proposal deadline?
The topic closes October 21, 2026. The DAF instructions direct offerors to the DoW FY26 STTR CSO for the exact submission time, ordinarily 12:00 p.m. Eastern on the close date. Confirm on the live DSIP posting.
When does this topic open?
September 23, 2026, giving a 29 day submission window.
Do I need a research institution partner?
Yes. This is an STTR topic, and the STTR program requires a formal partnership with a qualifying research institution. Note that the Air Force component instructions for this release do not restate the partnership mechanics, so read the DoW FY26 STTR Program CSO and the SBA SBIR/STTR Policy Directive for the work split, the written agreement, and the allocation of rights requirements.
What is the STTR work split, and how does it fit the two-thirds rule?
Under the STTR program the small business generally performs at least 40 percent and the research institution at least 30 percent of the total effort. These Air Force instructions separately state that for Phase I a minimum of two-thirds of the research or analytical effort must be performed by the awardee, and cap all consultant fees, facility lease or usage fees, and subcontract or purchase agreements at one-third of total contract price. Those framings sit awkwardly together, and on a $175,000 award one-third is roughly $58,000 for everything flowing to your partner and consultants combined. Raise this with the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk during the open period and use the Performance of Work deviation process, which requires a request before submission and again with the proposal.
What are the two Technical Areas?
TA1, Real-time Processing of Non-Traditional Phenomenologies for Non-Standard Threats, focuses on the collection, processing, and analysis of all data types and phenomenologies for advanced space domain awareness and detection of non-standard threats. TA2, Real-Time Automated Data Fusion, Analysis and Exploitation, focuses on analytics, data fusion, machine learning, dynamic command and control for understanding adversary capabilities, actions both offensive and defensive, and effects.
Should I address both Technical Areas?
The topic describes Phase I and Phase II requirements separately for each, which points toward choosing one and naming it explicitly. Ten pages will not support a credible treatment of both, and the evaluation criterion refers to incremental progress toward the topic or subtopic solution, so identifying your subtopic helps the evaluator.
What does TA1 Phase I require?
Six things. Identify non-traditional phenomenologies usable for space domain awareness collections. Investigate the technical challenges of exploiting data from those phenomenologies for real-time SDA. Identify a collection strategy. Identify the benefits of leveraging the non-traditional phenomenology to complement and improve traditional phenomenologies. Define specific performance metrics and demonstrate how the approach enhances those metrics for tracking and characterizing targets. And include a detailed plan outlining development, testing, and integration with specific timelines and milestones.
What does TA2 Phase I require?
Design a concept for a workable and scalable prototype addressing the basic capabilities and technical feasibility of the objective as well as data and information sources and the timeliness of the solution. Identify non-traditional phenomenology and data sources. Define a set of metrics and success criteria for a Phase 2 prototype. And include detailed findings in a Phase II plan in the final report.
Am I supposed to replace radar and optical telescopes?
No. TA1 explicitly asks you to identify the benefits of leveraging a non-traditional phenomenology to complement and improve traditional phenomenologies, and states that the Space Force needs to understand how new phenomenologies complement and improve information products generated by traditional ones. Position your approach as complementary, not substitutional.
Will the government provide equipment or data?
No. The topic states that GFE will not be provided, and it says so four separate times, once in each phase and technical area paragraph. You cannot propose an approach dependent on government sensors, data feeds, or facilities. Name your commercial or academic data source.
How long can my technical volume be?
10 pages, per the topic index, and note this is expressed as pages rather than pages or slides. You must use the template provided at the DSIP supporting documents page. The DSIP Cost Volume and Cost Volume Itemized Listing do not count against the limit, and the itemized listing may also be submitted in Volume 5 under the "Other" dropdown, so use those volumes for detail.
Do I have to use a specific template?
Yes. All applicants must complete their Volume 2 Technical Volume submission using the template provided at the DSIP supporting documents page. The instructions name it "Space FY26 SBIR Phase I Proposal Template," which says SBIR despite this being an STTR solicitation, apparently a carryover from the parallel SBIR instructions. Use the template at that link and ask the One Help Desk if the naming creates confusion.
Is this topic export controlled?
Yes. The technology is restricted under ITAR 22 CFR Parts 120-130 and EAR 15 CFR Parts 730-774. You must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals with countries of origin, visa or work permit type, and the statement of work tasks intended for them, and the topic advises that foreign nationals proposed to perform may be restricted due to the technical data involved. On an STTR award this reaches your research institution partner's personnel.
How is my proposal evaluated?
Under three criteria in descending order of importance. Criteria A, most important, covers soundness, technical merit, and innovation of the approach, its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution, the qualifications of the principal and key investigators, supporting staff, and consultants, and whether proposed cost elements are realistic and consistent with the technical proposal. Criteria B covers degree of mission impact, urgency of the identified need, specificity of the defense requirement, and adequacy of the effort. Criteria C covers commercial application potential. Unlike the DAF BAA documents in this release, this CSO document restates the criteria rather than pointing to the announcement.
What references should I read?
Eight are cited, and half are doctrine, which is a strong signal. Joint Publication 3-14 Joint Space Operations, Joint Publication 5-0 Joint Planning, Joint Publication 3-60 Joint Targeting, and the Space Force Spacepower Capstone Publication. Plus two 2025 Mitchell Institute papers, Galbreath on dynamic space operations and Reeves on cross-domain space superiority. Plus two AMOS Conference technical papers, one on multi-phenomenology characterization of space objects using reinforcement learning and one on probabilistic initial orbit determination and object tracking in cislunar space using passive radio frequency sensors.
Does the Company Commercialization Report affect my score?
No. Completing the CCR as Volume 4 in DSIP is required, but the instructions state information contained in the CCR will not be considered by the Air Force during proposal evaluations.
Are venture capital backed companies eligible?
Yes for this topic. The STTR CSO Phase I instructions state that firms owned in majority part by multiple venture capital operating companies, hedge funds, or private equity funds are eligible for DAF topics. Note that both DAF Release 6 BAA Direct to Phase II documents state the opposite, so verify eligibility against the specific document governing your topic.
What are the Phase II success criteria?
For both Technical Areas: a demonstrated software prototype capability, measured against metrics and a concept of operations use case; the ability to integrate outputs into operational workflows with minimal burden on users; and an achievable path to Phase III transition, including identification of customers, funding mechanisms, and required approvals.
What is the commercial market?
The topic states that it promotes dual-use opportunities to provide health and operational status of commercial satellites and their services in relation to adversaries' actions, and Phase III calls for maturing prototype software into a commercial product for commercial space domain awareness. Commercial satellite operators, insurers, and space situational awareness data providers are the natural buyers.
What is TABA and how do I request it?
The DAF will provide up to $6,500 for each Phase I award. These STTR CSO instructions state that in one sentence without the detailed provider documentation requirements found in the DAF BAA Phase I instructions. Because different DAF Release 6 documents handle TABA documentation differently, ask the DAF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk what this cycle requires and where it belongs.
How do I get to Phase II?
DAF organizations may request Phase II proposals while Phase I technical performance is ongoing or at any time after the period of performance concludes, based on the awardee's technical progress as determined by a DAF Technical Point of Contact review. Only Phase I awardees are eligible, all Phase I awardees receive a notification with the submittal date and detailed instructions, and only one Phase II proposal may be submitted for each Phase I award.
When will I hear about selection?
The Air Force anticipates all proposals will be evaluated and selections finalized within approximately 90 calendar days of solicitation close, meaning on or about January 19, 2027. The Principal Investigator and Corporate Official on the cover sheet are notified by email, with a separate notification for each proposal.
Who do I contact with questions?
The AF SBIR/STTR One Help Desk at usaf.team@afsbirsttr.us for general program and proposal preparation questions, and the DAF encourages requesting clarifying information as early as possible because delays constrain its ability to respond. For DSIP submission system issues, dodsbirsupport@reisystems.com. For technical questions about the topics during the pre-announcement and open period, reference the DoW FY26 STTR CSO. The Air Force SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer is Mr. Daniel J. Brewer at Daniel.Brewer.13@us.af.mil. Address or point of contact changes after submission go to the One Help Desk with the subject line "FY26 STTR CSO Address Change."
Positioning Advice for Companies Considering This Topic
Resolve the STTR work split before you write anything. The two-thirds in-house floor, the one-third outside cost cap, and the STTR research institution requirement do not obviously coexist on a $175,000 award. This is a question for the Help Desk in the first week of the open period, not something to discover during cost volume assembly.
Choose your Technical Area and say so on page one. Ten pages punishes ambiguity. TA1 is a sensing and phenomenology proposal; TA2 is a fusion and analytics proposal. A company that could plausibly do either should pick the one where its research institution partner is strongest.
Speak joint planning language. Four of the eight references are doctrine, and TA2 is built on measures of performance and measures of effectiveness. Space operations assessment is a doctrinal activity with its own vocabulary, and using it correctly is the cheapest credibility available on this topic.
Name your data source explicitly. With GFE ruled out four times, where your data comes from is a live question the evaluator will ask. Commercial space situational awareness providers, academic observatories, or your partner's own instruments are all answers. Silence is not.
For TA1, make the complementarity argument concrete. Show what your phenomenology sees that radar and optical do not, and show how fusing it improves an existing information product. The passive radio frequency cislunar tracking reference suggests the kind of gap the Space Force has in mind.
For TA2, address the unobservability problem. The topic says operators often cannot directly observe the effects of an operation and resulting adversary behavior. That is the hard part of space operations assessment, and a proposal that engages with inference under unobservability will stand out from one that describes a data pipeline.
Define metrics, because both Technical Areas require it. TA1 asks you to define specific performance metrics and demonstrate enhancement against them. TA2 asks you to define metrics and success criteria for a Phase II prototype. Quantified, defensible metrics are a scored element, not a nicety.
Use the excluded volumes. The Cost Volume, the itemized listing, and Volume 5 "Other" uploads do not count against ten pages. Anything that legitimately belongs there should go there.
Work the export control question with your partner early. University space surveillance groups are internationally staffed, the topic warns that foreign nationals may be restricted, and foreign affiliation with a research institution in a country of concern is a mandatory award denial. Get the roster.
Start the transition conversation in Phase I. The Phase II success criteria require an achievable path to Phase III including named customers, funding mechanisms, and required approvals. That work begins now, and referencing it in your Phase I proposal signals that you understand where this goes.
