Redwire Wins $20 Million DARPA Contract for SabreSat VLEO Flight Test

Redwire has secured a $20 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct additional testing and experimentation on a scaled version of its SabreSat spacecraft.

The work will support a precursor flight test in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) under DARPA’s Otter program, adding a second flight mission to Redwire’s work on the initiative.

The new award builds on a $44 million Phase 2 contract announced in November 2025, which covers manufacturing and delivery of the full-scale Otter spacecraft for launch.

The two awards bring the total announced value of Redwire’s work on the program to $64 million and establish a phased approach to testing technologies for sustained VLEO operations.

As prime mission integrator, Redwire is responsible for developing and integrating the spacecraft around its U.S.-built SabreSat Orbital Drone platform.

The precursor flight is intended to gather in-orbit data that cannot be fully replicated through ground testing, helping validate spacecraft and propulsion systems while reducing risk ahead of the full-scale Otter mission.

The Otter program adds to Redwire’s broader VLEO portfolio, which includes its role as prime contractor for the European Space Agency - ESA’s Skimsat mission using the company’s Phantom spacecraft, as well as digital engineering work for DeepSat’s planned VLEO constellation.

Together, these efforts aim to mature the spacecraft platforms and supporting technologies needed to make sustained operations at very low altitudes viable.

Image credits: Redwire