Air Force Hyperspace Challenge Accelerator Now Accepting Applications for 2020 Cohort
August 18, 2020 | PR NewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute

Hyperspace Challenge, a business accelerator run by the Air Force Research Laboratory and CNM Ingenuity for the U.S. Space Force, announced it is now accepting applications for its 2020 cohort, which begins in October. The application period is open through Sept. 10.
This year's theme, Trusted Autonomy, seeks technology that can provide the government and participating military agencies with secure, trustworthy autonomous and automated solutions for space. Prior accelerator themes have included Small Satellite Technologies (2019) and Geospatial Data Analytics (2018).
Hyperspace Challenge was designed to accelerate collaboration and foster contracts between startups in the space technology sector and government and military agencies. To this end, the engagement the accelerator facilitates between companies and the government lowers the barriers to government-commercial partnership.
"(This accelerator) has a large element of human interaction that does not normally happen when you're trying to propose something to the government," said 2018 inaugural cohort alum Amit Mehta of Arlington, VA-based NOVI. "There's a two-way connection – it's more of a discussion where you can collaboratively and iteratively come up with the most applicable solution [to the government need]."
The 2020 cohort will address the following items:
- Next-Level Autonomy in Remote Environments
- Automatic Hazard Detection and Avoidance
- Preventing and Adapting to Autonomy Failures
- Adopting State-of-the-Art Machine Learning for Space Vehicles
- Enhancing Spacecraft Autonomy with Resilient Computing Solutions
"We are excited to meet this new cohort and see how their technology can address these needs," said Gabe Mounce, Program Director for U.S. Space Force Accelerator Programs. "Over the past two years, the connectivity that this accelerator has provided to its cohort participants has significantly benefited their ability to serve not only the commercial market, but address the government's needs and connect to government customers."
Since launching in 2018, 16 of the 24 participating companies have gone on to sign government contracts, reporting over $7 million in new revenue.
Companies selected to participate will be announced in late September. Cohort participants will spend the following three months gaining insights into doing business with the federal government and meeting with participating government customers to develop relevant proposals. These companies will participate in virtual customer discovery sessions with government scientists and compete for cash prizes via a live pitch event at the Space Startup Summit on Dec. 3.
Learn more about the accelerator at hyperspacechallenge.com.
Suggested Items
2025 ASEAN IT Spending Growth Slows to 5.9% as AI-Powered IT Expansion Encounters Post-Boom Normalization
06/26/2025 | IDCAccording to the IDC Worldwide Black Book: Live Edition, IT spending across ASEAN is projected to grow by 5.9% in 2025 — down from a robust 15.0% in 2024.
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
United Electronics Corporation Advances Manufacturing Capabilities with Schmoll MDI-ST Imaging Equipment
06/24/2025 | United Electronics CorporationUnited Electronics Corporation has successfully installed the advanced Schmoll MDI-ST (XL) imaging equipment at their advanced printed circuit board facility. This significant technology investment represents a continued commitment to delivering superior products and maintaining their position as an industry leader in precision PCB manufacturing.
Insulectro & Dupont Host Technology Symposium at Silicon Valley Technology Center June 25
06/22/2025 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, and DuPont, a major manufacturer of flex laminates and chemistry, invite fabricators, OEMS, designers, and engineers to attend an Innovation Symposium – Unlock the Power - this Wednesday, June 25, at DuPont’s Silicon Valley Technology Center in Sunnyvale, CA.
OKI, NTT Innovative Devices Establish Mass Production Technology for High-Power Terahertz Devices by Heterogeneous Material Bonding
06/21/2025 | BUSINESS WIREOKI, in collaboration with NTT Innovative Devices Corporation, has established mass production technology for high-power terahertz devices using crystal film bonding (CFB) technology for heterogeneous material bonding to bond indium phosphide (InP)-based uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (UTC-PD) onto silicon carbide (SiC) with excellent heat dissipation characteristics for improved bonding yields.