Slingshot Aerospace Awarded $27 Million Space Force Contract to Power the AI-Driven Training Environment for Space Warfare

Slingshot Aerospace, powering the future of space, led by Tim Solms, Julio Pekarovic, Andrea Powers, Kelli Furrer, Erik Ekwurzel, Dr. Adrian Thompson, and others, has earned a $27 million contract to modernize scenario training activities.  

Under the contract, Slingshot will advance the Space Force’s Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) program by integrating existing training capabilities with AI-native technology designed to accurately replicate today’s rapidly evolving orbital threat environment.

Near-peer adversaries are rapidly advancing autonomous space capabilities and real-time maneuver tactics, requiring operators to train against intelligent, unpredictable, machine-speed opponents. TALOS AI delivers this by generating adaptive, AI-driven threats that behave like real adversaries rather than fixed scenarios. “This award marks a turning point for how the Space Force prepares for conflict in orbit,” said Tim Solms, Slingshot CEO. Recent STARCOM tests validated TALOS’s ability to simulate evolving threat behaviors, accelerate scenario development, support larger-scale simulations, and increase mission realism, paving the way for deeper AI integration in future training exercises.

The 18-month contract, awarded through a Commercial Solutions Opening and aligned with the Warfighting Acquisition System transformation, builds on prior SpaceWERX and Space Force investments, including a $25M STRATFI award in 2022.

The OTTI program will draw on a broad network of industry and government partners. Slingshot is developing TALOS and its infrastructure to integrate with existing Space Force training systems, data sources, and AI tools, working with leading modeling and simulation partners to ensure interoperability and mission realism.

“Our goal is for TALOS to plug into the entire training ecosystem, not just Slingshot products,” said CEO Tim Solms. “We’re collaborating closely so the Space Force can add new sensors, data, and AI capabilities as they emerge. Open APIs and flexible integrations are core to our approach.”

Launched in July, TALOS AI is an autonomous agent that mimics real satellite behavior for training. Using Slingshot’s behavior-cloning pipeline, it learns and replicates real-world spacecraft tactics in a dynamic orbital environment.