Insider Brief
- RapidFort and SpaceWERX signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to develop and evaluate cybersecurity capabilities for U.S. Space Force systems.
- The collaboration will address AI software vulnerability risks, post-quantum encryption risks, cyber readiness and faster Authority to Operate (ATO) processes.
- The CRADA will connect SpaceWERX operational and acquisition teams with RapidFort’s software and open-source ecosystem to test and refine commercial cybersecurity solutions.
PRESS RELEASE — RapidFort, the leader in Software Supply Chain Security (SSCS) with the largest distribution of curated truly open-source software, today announced it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the United States Space Force (USSF) and a division of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
This strategic partnership establishes a collaborative framework to build a larger industry consortium to enable SpaceWERX to co-develop, test, and evaluate next-generation capabilities that reduce AI software vulnerability exploitation risk, improve cyber readiness, accelerate ATOs, and reduce post-quantum encryption risk across critical space systems. For the USSF, the CRADA is designed to improve cyber readiness, allowing USSF Guardian personnel to field new software capabilities securely, while having them approved and deployed at operational speed. Under the terms of the CRADA, industry organizations will share technical expertise, infrastructure, and operational insights to accelerate commercialization and cybersecurity mission readiness for space systems.
As a CRADA partner, RapidFort now has access to SpaceWERX’s network of operational experts, acquisition professionals, and Guardian talent. Likewise, SpaceWERX has access to RapidFort’s ecosystem of software industry and open-source partners. This collaborative feedback loop will enable the Space Force to validate and refine its capabilities in near real time, ensuring commercial solutions map directly to the dynamic requirements of the contested space domain.
“Partnering with SpaceWERX through this CRADA represents a major milestone in our mission to bridge commercial breakthroughs with national security priorities,” said Mehran Farimani, CEO of RapidFort. “Our focus is clear: Empower the guardians to eliminate AI-driven software attack vectors at the source, accelerate ATOs so Guardians can field next-generation software without trading speed for security, and prepare space systems for emerging post-quantum threats. Through this CRADA we can bring best of industry software into the heart of USSF operations, leveraging the benefits of AI while reducing the security risks of AI.”
RapidFort has been a key member of the Silicon Valley AI and cybersecurity communities and serves on the governing board of the Akrites Project, among other community-based software initiatives.
The joint research under this CRADA will focus primarily on:
- Efforts to continuously reduce AI software vulnerability exploitation risk for the Department of War, aligned with the recent presidential executive order on Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security.
- Development and evaluation of capabilities to reduce post-quantum encryption risk, aligned with the presidential order on Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks.
- Expansion of RapidFort complimentary Rapid ATO education and “Ask an Approving Officer Program,” providing industry and Guardians a repeatable pattern to deliver reduced ATO timescales. This is especially important for AI software, which is now a national Department of War priority.
- RapidFort publishes a patch-time SLA once an upstream fix exists: Seven calendar days for Critical/High, 21 for Medium, 28 for Low.
- Expansion of the complimentary “Ask a Facilities Security Officer (FSO)” education program to help accelerate clearances for key projects within the SpaceWERX ecosystem.
This CRADA underscores SpaceWERX’s ongoing commitment to cultivating partnerships with the community of leading software, AI, cybersecurity, and defense startups, thus leveraging commercial agility to rebuild the nation’s technological arsenal for the modern era.
