The name of the award is wordy ...  U.S. Air Force (USAF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award "Commercial Solutions for Innovative Space Data Analytics",  but then the task involved is no small matter, "The AFRL and AFWERX (a catalyst for agile Air Force engagement across industry, academia and non-traditional contributors to create transformative opportunities and foster an Air Force culture of innovation), have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants and decrease bureaucratic overhead."

RBC Signals, provider of flexible and cost-effective space communication services, is the recipient of the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award. Awarded under the topic “Commercial Solutions for Innovative Space Data Analytics”, the RBC Signals award is managed out of the Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). It provides funding for multi-mission intelligent edge computing infrastructure in ground stations within the RBC Signals global network.

Christopher Richins, founder and CEO of
RBC Signals

According to the Air Force, “The AFRL and AFWERX (a catalyst for agile Air Force engagement across industry, academia and non-traditional contributors to create transformative opportunities and foster an Air Force culture of innovation), have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in 19.1, the Air Force has begun offering 'Special' SBIR topics that are faster, leaner and open to a broader range of innovations.”

RBC Signals provides space communication infrastructure as a service to low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite operators. RBC Signals offers unique access to a global network of over 65 antennas in over 40 locations supporting all major frequency bands. The company’s unique service model enables satellite operators to reduce latency, increase data download capacity, and improve the resiliency of their satellite communications. 

Christopher Richins, founder and CEO of RBC Signals stated that traffic from DoD space assets is anticipated to grow exponentially over the next decade. Scaling communication infrastructure to meet this demand securely and efficiently is a real challenge. Their model provides a solution for this. Richins added that RBC Signals’ model provides the U.S. Air Force with the advantage of processing space-based data at the point of reception globally, improving resiliency and speed of delivering information to the warfighter.

RBC Signals combines intelligent edge innovation and cloud computing capabilities with its ground station assets strategically located across the globe.  This enables the USAF to securely process its space-generated data and leverage advanced applications for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the ground station.