Overview

• Space Systems Command’s System Delta 810 issued a Phase III SBIR OTA to Muon Space to prototype a dual-use space-based environmental monitoring capability.
• Muon will build and launch three satellites carrying the enhanced Quickbeam-S/Quickbeam-SBEM payload, a nine-channel imager spanning visible through long-wave infrared.
• The on-orbit demonstration targets Cloud Characterization and Theater Weather Imagery, addressing top SBEM priorities and filling gaps left by aging military weather systems.
• The effort builds on Muon’s March 2025 FireSat prototype and a December 2024 Phase II award, while the company’s separate FireSat constellation remains slated to begin launches in 2026.
• An SSC spokesperson said the first two demo satellites are projected for late 2027 with a third in early 2028, and the contract was signed Sept. 12 using FY25 funds.