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RapidFort and SpaceWERX have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to develop and evaluate cybersecurity capabilities for U.S. Space Force systems. The work is intended to address software vulnerabilities, post-quantum encryption risks, cyber readiness and approval timelines, but the announcement does not specify project milestones, funding or deployment decisions.
RapidFort and SpaceWERX have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to develop and evaluate cybersecurity capabilities for U.S. Space Force systems, with work focused on software vulnerabilities, post-quantum encryption risks, cyber readiness and the time needed to approve new software. The agreement creates a framework for collaboration; it does not, in the announcement, establish that any specific tool has been adopted or deployed.
Under the CRADA, SpaceWERX’s operational and acquisition teams will work with RapidFort and its software and open-source partners to test and refine commercial cybersecurity solutions. The stated goal is to connect industry expertise and infrastructure with Space Force operational needs, allowing proposed capabilities to be evaluated against mission requirements. The announcement does not identify specific systems, test sites or a schedule for that work.
The companies say research will address reducing the risk that vulnerabilities in AI software can be exploited, preparing systems for risks associated with post-quantum encryption, and improving cyber readiness. Another focus is shortening the Authority to Operate (ATO) process, the approval pathway for software to be used in government environments. RapidFort also plans to expand its complimentary ATO education and “Ask an Approving Officer” program, according to the announcement.
The release also describes an expansion of RapidFort’s “Ask a Facilities Security Officer” education program to help projects in the SpaceWERX ecosystem with clearance-related questions. It says industry organizations may share technical expertise, infrastructure and operational insights through the collaborative framework. No financial terms, specific participating organizations beyond RapidFort, or binding delivery targets were provided in the source material.
Testing Commercial Tools for Space Missions
The agreement matters because software security and approval timelines can affect how quickly the Space Force can field new capabilities. The stated aim is to help personnel adopt software securely and at operational speed, rather than treating speed and security as competing goals. Whether the partnership achieves that will depend on what is tested, how results are assessed and whether any capability is later approved for use.
The focus on AI software vulnerabilities reflects the security concerns that can accompany increasingly complex software systems. Work on post-quantum encryption risk addresses a separate planning challenge: preparing cryptographic protections for potential future advances in computing. The announcement identifies both as research priorities, but offers no technical findings or evidence that a particular threat has been eliminated.
For companies seeking to work with the defense sector, the ATO and security-education programs could also provide guidance on navigating approval and clearance processes. The release describes those programs as complimentary, but does not quantify current approval times or state how much they are expected to change.
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How the SpaceWERX Partnership Works
SpaceWERX is described in the announcement as the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a division of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Its role in this agreement is to connect RapidFort with operational experts, acquisition professionals and Space Force personnel, referred to in the release as Guardians. RapidFort, in turn, brings access to its network of software-industry and open-source partners.
A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement provides a framework for government and non-government partners to collaborate on research and evaluate technology. Here, the parties say the arrangement will support a feedback process in which commercial capabilities can be tested and refined in light of operational requirements. The source does not describe the agreement’s duration or specify the evaluation criteria.
RapidFort’s announcement characterizes the company as a software supply-chain security provider and says it publishes patch-time service-level targets once an upstream fix exists: seven calendar days for critical or high-severity issues, 21 days for medium issues and 28 days for low-severity issues. These are company-stated targets, not results reported from the SpaceWERX collaboration. The source also references presidential executive orders concerning AI innovation and security and advanced cryptographic attacks as policy alignment for the planned research.
“Partnering with SpaceWERX through this CRADA represents a major milestone in our mission to bridge commercial breakthroughs with national security priorities.”
— Mehran Farimani, RapidFort CEO
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Scope, Timelines and Outcomes
The announcement does not specify when testing will begin, how long the CRADA will run, what systems will be assessed, or which commercial products may be evaluated. It also does not disclose funding, measurable performance targets or a process for publishing findings.
It remains unclear whether the collaboration will result in software being approved for operational use, and whether the proposed work will change ATO timelines or reduce vulnerability exposure. The release describes goals and areas of research, not independently verified results. It also does not explain how post-quantum risks will be measured or what technical approach the partners will test.
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From Agreement to Evaluation
The next step described by the parties is collaboration among SpaceWERX operational and acquisition personnel, RapidFort and its industry and open-source network to develop, test and evaluate capabilities. The announcement frames this as an ongoing feedback process intended to align commercial solutions with space-system requirements.
No public milestone or delivery date was included. Further updates would be needed to establish which tools entered testing, what the evaluations found, whether any solution advanced through the ATO process and whether the Space Force decided to deploy it. Until those details are released, the confirmed development is the agreement and its stated research priorities.
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Key Questions
What did RapidFort and SpaceWERX agree to do?
They signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to collaborate on developing and evaluating cybersecurity capabilities for U.S. Space Force systems.
What security issues will the work address?
The announcement names AI software vulnerability risks, post-quantum encryption risks, cyber readiness and faster Authority to Operate processes as areas of focus.
Does the agreement mean RapidFort software is being deployed by the Space Force?
No deployment is confirmed in the announcement. It describes a framework to test and evaluate commercial capabilities, but does not say that a specific product has been approved or put into operational use.
When will the collaboration produce results?
The source gives no public testing schedule, project duration or results date. It says the partners will work together to develop and evaluate capabilities.
Source: rss
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