SBIR DAF26BX02-NV504 (Air Force): Project Able Baker: Maritime Re-purposing of Offshore Infrastructure for Resilient Launch-Vehicle Recovery
U.S. Department of Defense — Air Force
Who can apply
Small Business. Startup
About this opportunity
Air Force SBIR topic — under DoW SBIR 2026 CSO (Solicitation 26.BX, Release 2) — Accepting submissions 2026-05-27 to 2026-06-24. Objective: The objective of this Phase I effort is to design and demonstrate the feasibility of a Sea-Based Recovery Station (SBRS) prototype capable of repurposing decommissioned offshore oil platforms into resilient landing pads for reusable launch-vehicle boosters. The solution should include structural modification approaches and analytical models capable of supporting the impact-load requirements of heavy-lift launch stages (current and next-generation heavy-lift launch stages). The resulting capability should enable scalable maritime recovery operations that support the Department of the Air Force's (DAF) objectives for Space Access and cost-effective launc...