TAMPA, Fla. — NATO has picked 150 companies from 24 of its member countries to join its Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) next year, including more than two dozen with ties to the space sector.
Each company will receive 100,000 euros ($117,000) in funding when phase one of the annual program kicks off in January, along with access to more than 200 test centers to develop their dual-use defense and commercial technologies.
Companies shortlisted for phase two may receive up to 300,000 euros in additional funding to further demonstrate how they could address at least one of NATO’s 10 critical defense and security challenges.
Resilient Space Operations is one of these challenge areas. The companies NATO announced Dec. 10 for this category are:
CompanyDescriptionLocationAdaptronicsVersatile, energy-efficient and electro-adhesion-based technology for object manipulationItalyAlba OrbitalSmaller Earth observation satellites to capture images more frequentlyUnited KingdomApplied AtomicsPropulsion system that uses water as fuelUnited KingdomBruhnBruhn InnovationAerospace edge computing solutionsSwedenCapsule CorporationWater-based propulsion system to streamline integration, test and deployment of dual use satellitesItalyDeep Space EnergyResilient radioisotope power for satellite manoeuvring and non-kinetic threat defenceLatviaEcosmicSpace traffic management providerItalyKreios SpaceSupporting very low Earth orbit (VLEO) through fuel-free atmospheric space propulsionSpainMithril TechnologiesSoftware-defined satellite radar for advanced space domain awarenessUnited StatesNeuraspaceAI-driven space defense platform for autonomous and secured orbital operationsPortugalSpace PowerLasers to charge solar panels with or without the sunUnited KingdomSpace SolarAssembling large modular space structures for situational awareness, power and apertureUnited KingdomSpacefluxPredictive AI for resilient space operations and strategic advantageUnited KingdomSpectra DefenceOptical sensors to enhance understanding of objects and activity in orbitUnited KingdomWarpWare (ATTX)On-orbit debris characterizationUnited States
Multiple space-related firms appear in other categories, including U.S. geospatial solutions provider SkyFi under Data Assisted Decision Making, and Spanish picosatellite operator FOSSA under Contested Electromagnetic Environments.
“DIANA’s mission is to find the most innovative companies, help them advance their solutions and grow their business, and get the technologies we need into the hands of NATO operators,” said James Appathurai, interim managing director of NATO DIANA.
“Over the next year, these innovators will accelerate breakthrough technologies that can help to transform how the Alliance defends against current and emerging threats.”
The companies were selected from more than 3,600 applications, forming the largest cohort NATO has announced since establishing DIANA in 2022 and more than doubling last year’s intake.
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