ExLabs wins Space Force contract for reconfigurable space platform

SYDNEY, Australia – The U.S. Space Force has awarded a $1.9 million contract to Southern California startups ExLabs for development of its reconfigurable spacecraft platform.

Under the Direct-to-Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Space Force Space Systems Command, ExLabs will develop SERVSAM, “a heavy-class, reconfigurable spacecraft designed for flexible mission profiles in all orbital regimes,” according to the ExLabs news release. SERVSAM, built on ExLabs’ modular Space Exploration and Resource Vehicle (SERV) architecture, “will serve as a foundation for a range of future capabilities that align with national security space priorities.”

The Space Systems Command award “continues the steady development of our primary platform,” Schmidgall told SpaceNews by email. “We now have over $22 million in combined contracts advancing the same core capability.”

“We’re developing adaptable infrastructure designed to meet the evolving demands of space operations,” ExLabs CEO Matthew Schmidgall said in a statement. “As mission tempo increases, dual-use commercial platforms will be key to maintaining strategic advantage.”

ExLabs plans to deploy spacecraft in low-Earth and deep space in 2027, Schmidgall said.