Axient, an Astrion Legacy Company, selected for $237 million US Space Force STEP 2.0 contract to accelerate military space innovation

Astrion, through its legacy company Axient LLC, has been selected by the US Space Force (USSF) as one of 12 awardees on the Space Test Experiments (STEP) 2.0 program.

STEP 2.0, a 10-year, multi-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract worth up to $237 million, aims to advance military space technology, reduce costs, and streamline processes by harnessing the latest in commercial innovation.

Astrion and the other contract awardees will bid on task orders to build modular satellites and integrate them with various experimental payloads, enabling USSF to conduct tests on emerging technologies in orbit.

“We’re proud to partner with USSF as it accelerates space innovation to advance our national security objectives,” said Dan Benjamin, Astrion’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Space.  “We look forward to this opportunity to build on our space integration history delivering our extensive experience, bold ideas, and unmatched execution in support of STEP 2.0.”

Astrion has a long history of partnership with USSF Space Systems Command, supporting critical programs including the National Security Space Launch, Missile Warning, Global Positioning, and New Entrant Certification missions. In addition, for nearly two decades Astrion teammate Orion Space Solutions, an Arcfield Company, has developed trusted space-based solutions for the national security and intelligence communities.

Administered by USSF’s Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Department of Defense (DOD) Space Test Program (STP), STEP 2.0 is expected to issue its first delivery order in January 2026.

Other organizations selected for the STEP 2.0 contract include Blue Canyon Technologies, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin Corp., Loft Orbital Federal, Lynk Global, Orbit Systems, Spire Global Subsidiary, Turion Space Corp., Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Utah State University Space Dynamics Lab, and York Space Systems.