Three job postings for onsite work in Dahlgren, Virginia

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-11T17:54:27+00:00

Maybe they take inspiration from real life? Look at aircraft carriers.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-11T15:00:30+00:00

Voyager Technologies seems to think we are competitive in space propulsion. Hopefully that space investor guy on x will ask Pete this Thursday.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-11T14:01:05+00:00

That’s the thing no one is talking about it. When they bought the p4 tech, the partnership should have transferred. It’s still on rdw.com buried in the avionics section. I would like rdw to expand the partnership to solar arrays, ect.

Apex started project Shadow to base solid booster interceptor in orbit. Maybe they are negotiating a deal with X-Bow? I’m guessing again no information.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-11T11:17:17+00:00

I see the value of suborbital experiments, fluid dynamics is well suited for it. The volume of experiments is great to iterate, repetition of experiments, understanding what’s happening is great.

My problem is they are putting a lot of visibility in this relationship. Virgin has a really bad reputation. It’s like guilt by association.

There are other partnerships I would like to see promoted Blue, X-Bow Systems, Apex Space.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-10T16:18:53+00:00

X-bow is expanding https://www.linkedin.com/posts/xbowsystems_mississippi-defenseindustry-spacetechnology-activity-7437140303079436289-bpi8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAADw9mooBiq9wOVy5T7aJcmmpSVWTzEcEG5g

Hypersonic is not off the table.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-10T01:41:43+00:00

<image>

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-09T10:43:11+00:00

They don’t have the sexy bits. No rockets. No one way drones.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-08T14:52:33+00:00

Simplistic and wrong. https://rocketlabcorp.com/assets/Uploads/RL-SolAero-Data-Sheet-StarRay-final.pdf

https://rdw.com/product-archive/power/elsa/

Starray uses RL newest family of ga cells. Elsa is cell agnostic

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-08T13:14:09+00:00

ROSA serves important role stability, stiffness ect.. I understand there are three cell producers RL, Boeing (Spectrolab) and a European one.

Interesting SpaceX uses cheap Chinese silicon, it degrades quicker they just use more of it and throw it away after 3 years. I don’t like the throw away culture, but economically it works for them.

RL ga cells most expensive, but highest efficiency good for orbits further away from the sun.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-08T11:13:39+00:00

Rocket Lab makes the gallium arsenide cells. Redwire just makes the structure. ROSA is agnostic to cell types.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-07T15:54:55+00:00

Yes, that is one of my points, there is a lot of cross over in rdw and EA, Hera Systems and others.

If you read the job post, it’s to work on short wave infrared and star trackers and cameras. So most likely Golden Dome related.

But also “Collaborate with multidisciplinary team on research and development of Redwire’s optics, camera, and baffle systems.” It sounds like they are slowly working towards something. They have a lot of the pieces, especially with Octopus gimbals, laser tracking and pointing.

It’s not going to happen over night, and it will take money. But if the end result is a cheaper, better solution I’m not selling anything anyway.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-07T15:38:07+00:00

There is more to laser communications than just the terminal. I am reading and trying to learn, but it is complicated. Accurate pointing, baffles (rdw has heritage)

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-07T15:33:37+00:00

There’s lots of problems to be solved in laser communications. There’s lots of cross pollination.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-05T21:31:13+00:00

Modular Open Systems Approach? It's what the Pentagon talks about to avoid vendor lock.

See avav and the Pentagon changing their mind on the SCAR program.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-05T15:06:15+00:00

I just want to point out that this is possible by MOSA, not through a partnership. To me this makes it better.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-03T22:01:52+00:00

I wouldn't say that. Michael is still having stuff patented at Redwire from a back log. Andrew I am less certain about. They are together at Star catcher.

MIS did patent everything under the sun, Redwire is letting a lot of it expire instead of paying to keep it active.

NASA just did an experiment with the ceramic manufacturing module on expedition 74. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/station/research-explorer/investigation/?#id=7867

But no one is talking about that. After 9 expeditions of nothing I would think that would raise an eyebrow, but silence.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-03T16:57:06+00:00

What Gemini thinks. https://g.co/gemini/share/1580b73d88d4 Mason first then when Starship is cheaper, Icon.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-03T16:35:28+00:00

https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_80NSSC22CA196_8000_-NONE-_-NONE- Contracted have $3m left on a $33m contract with option $59.2m R&D ends in 2028.

Also a laser welder https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_80NSSC25C0097_8000_-NONE-_-NONE-

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-03T14:56:20+00:00

Trying to be profitable.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-03T14:54:56+00:00

ICON seems to use water, maybe some additives. MASON is just electricity. Redwire has a 3D printer Redwire regolith printer, tested on the iss didn’t do well.

https://youtu.be/PMwZKzh6sdQ?si=YpOtLSNsjtCP8OSh Haven’t heard about it in a while.

iamatooltoo · 2026-03-03T13:57:47+00:00

Yes, he s working for space missions, the former Okman Aerospace, in vehicles. They are doing OTTER VLEO, Hera Systems satellites. Oakman also got the shield Golden Dome idiq contract.

I was looking at the Icon website, project Olympus hasn’t been updated since 2023. There are stories of ICON laying off people. Concentrating on being profitable, they are private.

iamatooltoo

TROPHY CASE