Anduril doubles the size of its space unit

Anduril, the autonomous weapons maker, doubles the size of its space unit - Ars Technica Skip to content Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Anduril Industries announced on Wednesday that it is acquiring ExoAnalytic Solutions, a space intelligence firm that operates a vast network of sensors monitoring the veiled movements of satellites thousands of miles above Earth. “For nearly twenty years, ExoAnalytic has delivered important advantage[s] for the nation’s most critical missions,” Anduril said in a press release. “Exo is a renowned leader in modeling and simulation for classified national security space programs, and provides critical software and expertise for missile warning and missile defense.” “The company also owns and operates the world’s largest commercial telescope network with more than 400 systems deployed worldwide, enabling persistent, high-fidelity awareness of deep space at a global scale,” Anduril said. Anduril did not disclose how much it’s paying for ExoAnalytic, but the acquisition will more than double Anduril’s staff dedicated to space projects, according to Gokul Subramanian, Anduril’s vice president of engineering who also oversees the company’s space portfolio. Living by the sword Anduril is perhaps best known for developing autonomous weapons, such as cruise missiles, jet-powered missile interceptors, and underwater drones. The company is one of two contractors working with the US Air Force on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which aims to field highly maneuverable robotic wingmen to accompany piloted fighter jets into conflict. The program builds on the concept of manned-unmanned teaming, in which conventional combat aircraft can control drone swarms from the cockpit. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, established Anduril with a team of ex-Palantir employees in 2017. The company’s reach now extends into space, a domain critical to modern military operations. The purchase of ExoAnalytic will “accelerate Anduril’s work supporting national security space customers,” the company said in a statement. Anduril will take ownership of ExoAnalytic’s global telescope network, missile defense software, and simulation and tracking algorithms. The additions will support Anduril’s capabilities in space domain awareness, battle management, and fire control, areas where the US Space Force is seeking new contractors. This rendering shows ExoAnalytic’s SEAS modeling and simulation tool sponsored by the US Space Force. The tool supports analysis of new system concepts, system architectures, and concepts of operations (CONOPS) in the context of joint warfighting scenarios. Credit: ExoAnalytic Solutions This rendering shows ExoAnalytic’s SEAS modeling and simulation tool sponsored by the US Space Force. The tool supports analysis of new system concepts, system architectures, and concepts of operations (CONOPS) in the context of joint warfighting scenarios. Credit: ExoAnalytic Solutions “The acquisition would significantly enhance Anduril’s ability to develop and deploy solutions across space sensing, tracking, and countermeasures, building on existing collaborations between Anduril and Exo to significantly scale the impact that we will be able to provide for national security missions,” Anduril said. “We believe deeply that space must be secured in order to enable our activities, both in space but also on Earth,” Subramanian said. “If you can’t see in space, you can’t fight in space, and you’ve seen us work on a number of programs in that regard.” One of these programs is the Space Domain Awareness Network, which will help fuse the US military’s own space surveillance sensors. Anduril is working on three internally funded space missions, two of which are scheduled for launch this year. The Electronimo mission, developed in partnership with Apex Space , will fly long-wave infrared and electro-optical space surveillance sensors in low-Earth orbit. Anduril is designing it to process the sensor’s observations onboard the satellite instead of beaming the raw data to the ground for processing, as most satellites do. “We’re looking to invert that, which is move the processing on orbit so the satellite can immediately see and know what it’s looking at,” Subramanian said. “So as a satellite is flying through space, our mission, Electronimo, our satellite, is looking for other things in space and trying to detect them. We expect Exo’s expertise to become part of our solution to enable us to do that onboard processing, discrimination, and tracking.” Anduril is also partnering with Impulse Space , an in-space propulsion and mobility startup, on a rendezvous and proximity operations demo in geosynchronous orbit. This capability is foundational for applications like satellite servicing and inspection. Anduril and Argo Space are jointly developing a demo mission combining the former’s surveillance sensor and edge computing tech with the latter’s “highly maneuverable, high-energy spacecraft.” Subramanian said Anduril will fully absorb ExoAnalytic in the acquisition, adding the firm’s 130 employees to Anduril’s space sector staff of 120. ExoAnalytic has the “best catalog and the best ability” to track objects in geostationary orbit, Subramanian said, providing visibility into an area of valuable real estate used by the US military and foreign governments for communications, missile warning, and spying. According to its website, ExoAnalytic’s sensor network has collected billions of observations with “high-quality astrometric and photometric measurement data.” The dataset allows ExoAnalytic to discern satellite maneuvers, stability changes, anomalies, and more. Anduril’s YFQ-44A fighter drone made its first flight in 2025. Credit: Anduril Industries Anduril’s YFQ-44A fighter drone made its first flight in 2025. Credit: Anduril Industries ExoAnalytic’s technology also has applications in missile defense, improving Anduril’s position to take a role in the Pentagon’s Golden Dome program . “They are experts in digital signal processing, seeker theory, seeker design, and estimation of targets, discriminating the hard body, discriminating the target from other things that might be in the environment,” Subramanian said. “In a missile defense use case, it’s really important to know where is the missile,” he said. “When you look at these images, it’s just a bunch of pixels that are very blurry, and to be able to turn that into ‘this is where the missile is,’ and then even to do the super resolution, internal to that, which is ‘here is the shape of the missile. Here’s what you’re seeing. Here are the important points that you need to be aware of on that hard body.’ That’s really, really sophisticated stuff. I wish I could go deeper into it, but given the sensitivity of what we do, we can’t.” While Anduril will continue serving ExoAnalytic’s commercial customers, the company will develop new products that are “less commercial in nature and more fit for purpose,” Subramanian said. In other words, Anduril will tailor its space tech for military use. “Our ability to do things terrestrially, like the events going on over the last few weeks, are all hinged on our ability to access and leverage space for those missions,” Subramanian said. “So we want that as the thesis of our business unit. That’s what we’re focused on. We’re not doing GPS. We’re not doing weather. We are focused on protecting space, assuring access to space, ensuring custody of space, ensuring that we can track everything, and that’s what we’re going to continue rapidly investing in.” Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 79 Comments Comments Forum view Loading comments... Prev story Next story 1. Facing heavy losses, Honda cancels its three US-made electric vehicles 2. Remembering the 30-year-old computer game that introduced me to Star Wars 3. 14,000 routers are infected by malware that's highly resistant to takedowns 4. Google Maps gets its biggest navigation redesign in a decade, plus more AI 5. Explain it like I'm 5: Why is everyone on speakerphone in public? Customize