Slingshot wins $27 million Space Force contract for AI training system

WASHINGTON — Slingshot Aerospace won a $27 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to further develop an artificial intelligence–based training system designed to prepare military personnel for conflict scenarios in space, the company said Jan. 15.

The 18-month agreement supports the Space Force’s Operational Test and Training Infrastructure, or OTTI, a program created to train satellite operators for contested, fast-moving orbital environments. The award was made through a Commercial Solutions Opening, a contracting mechanism intended to accelerate access to commercial technology.

Slingshot’s system, known as TALOS — short for Thinking Agent for Logical Operations and Strategy — is designed to act as an autonomous virtual opponent, simulating realistic satellite behavior during training exercises. The company says the technology can replicate how adversary spacecraft might maneuver, react, or interfere in orbit, without relying on fixed scripts.

Slingshot, based in Windsor, Colorado, unveiled TALOS in July. The system was initially developed with Small Business Innovation Research funding awarded by SpaceWERX in 2022.

Training for contested domain

Space operations have become more complex as Earth orbit grows more crowded and as major powers invest in counterspace capabilities. Satellites that support communications, navigation, missile warning and intelligence are increasingly viewed as potential targets in a conflict.

Despite that, the Space Force has struggled to train operators under realistic conditions. Traditional simulators are often custom-built for individual satellite programs and can be expensive, slow to update and limited in scope. Many rely on predictable, pre-programmed scenarios that fail to reflect how an adversary might adapt during an engagement.

OTTI was created in 2023 to move away from that model. The program aims to integrate digital twins, physics-based simulations and full-mission trainers into a shared training ecosystem that can be updated as threats evolve.

Under the new contract, Slingshot said it will advance TALOS for use within OTTI, modernizing scenario-based training by using AI to mirror what the company described as the real orbital threat landscape.

The TALOS system has already been used in exercises by the 57th Space Aggressors Squadron, a unit responsible for simulating adversary capabilities during Space Force training.

“TALOS allows the Space Force guardians the ability to train against adaptive, AI-driven threats that behave like real adversaries — not pre-programmed scenarios. This is the dawn of AI-native space training, where human and machine intelligence work together to give mission leaders a decisive operational edge,” said Tim Solms, Slingshot’s chief executive.

The contract was awarded through a Commercial Solutions Opening, which allows the government to solicit solutions to broad operational problems, evaluate prototypes quickly, and bypass the longer timelines associated with the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Slingshot said a priority under the OTTI contract is ensuring TALOS can integrate with systems beyond its own.

“Our goal is to ensure TALOS can plug into the full training ecosystem — not just Slingshot technologies,” Solms said. “We’re working closely with other partners and government teams so the Space Force can incorporate new sensors, data systems, and AI capabilities as they come online. Open APIs and flexible integration paths are central to how we’re approaching this program.”