Atlanta, GA – 1 October 2026 – SpaceWorks Enterprises Inc. (SEI) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) milestone for its In-Space Antenna Assembly Concept (ISAAC) under a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the United States Space Force. The CDR marks a major step forward in the maturation of ISAAC, an innovative system designed to robotically assemble modular, reconfigurable, and scalable structures in space.
The ISAAC system addresses one of the most significant challenges in space-based physical infrastructure: the spatial constraints imposed by launch vehicle fairings. By enabling the assembly of high-span structures in orbit, ISAAC offers a transformative solution that provides volumetric advantages over traditional deployable systems and inherent reconfigurability compared to other construction methods. ISAAC’s versatile components may also serve a wide range of applications, including building structures for space stations, orbital depots, and surface infrastructure. “The future of space infrastructure will include a mix of architectures: small, distributed systems for some applications, and larger modular structures for others. ISAAC is designed to support that full range by enabling space structures to scale, reconfigure, and transfer utilities such as power and data through the truss elements themselves. Our goal is to give customers a standardized way to deploy and assemble large-area space structures on demand,” said Phase II Principal Investigator Kevin Okseniuk.
Completion of the CDR confirms that subsystem designs have reached the level of maturity required to proceed into manufacturing, integration, and test. The review also demonstrated meaningful risk reduction through an extensive prototyping and test campaign. Max Thorne, Chief Engineer for the Phase II effort, stated that “the team was able to design an elegant system within significant packaging and performance constraints”. SEI looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the U.S. Space Force as the program advances toward future testing and evaluation milestones.
Funding was provided under the In-Space Antenna Assembly Concept (ISAAC) program, contract number FA254125CB073. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Public Aairs release approval #AFRL-2026-4056 .
About SpaceWorks
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI), based in Atlanta, GA, specializes in advanced concept analysis, systems analysis, rapid prototyping, product development, and economic assessment for a broad and diverse customer base. SpaceWorks is dedicated to advancing the state-of-the-art in the aerospace industry, from the early design phase through flight demonstration and system operation. Learn more about this mission at spaceworks.aero.
DISTRIBUTION A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Public Affairs release approval #AFRL-2026-4056.