Picogrid and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Mission Innovation X won a $1.75M program to help government teams monitor wildfires during space launch operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Picogrid software fuses data from sensors deployed at locations across military bases, uses artificial intelligence to detect threats autonomously, and disseminates information to first responders in real time.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 13, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Picogrid and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Mission Innovation X (MIx) announce they have been selected by AFWERX for an STTR Phase II Contract in the amount of $1.75M focused on helping military and civil authorities respond to wildfires to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now, Picogrid will continue its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

Jake Jeffries, Technical Program Manager at Picogrid, explained: “Wildfires pose a serious threat to DoD installations, and the military has consistently played a vital role in responding to them across the U.S. Our technology enables Air Force end users, such as fire departments, to deploy compact and portable sensor packages that stream real-time full-motion video back to command centers. This is invaluable for monitoring active wildfires, deterring crime, and supporting emergency response efforts.”

Jeffries continued: “At Vandenberg Space Force Base, for instance, we delivered our Helios hardware in under 24 hours. Helios provided mobile and rapidly deployable capabilities with under 15-minute setup to establish persistent surveillance in vulnerable areas. This adds to our multiple Lander platforms already in use at Vandenberg for long-duration missions to get early situational awareness of local fires. Given our hardware is fully independent of the existing power grid and communication infrastructure, we have ensured operational reliability in austere conditions. What sets us apart is our focus on information interoperability across military, state, municipal, and other fire departments.”

Zane Mountcastle, CEO of Picogrid, emphasized the broader capabilities of the platform: “Picogrid’s platform creates a single pane of glass for emergency operations by consolidating data from dispersed sensors and disseminating the information using Orion and Legion open API. The goal is to make the same information accessible to many stakeholders simultaneously, whether they are in the office or working on mobile devices in the field.”

“The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.”

About Picogrid

Picogrid is a defense technology company that builds a unified platform for unmanned systems. The company’s technology helps connect humans, sensors, and autonomous vehicles in a single software environment to achieve mission objectives. Based in El Segundo, CA, and Lawton, OK, Picogrid’s vision is to build the foundational infrastructure to enable a new defense industrial base. Picogrid products are used by military and enterprise customers globally.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed over 6,200 new contracts worth more than $4.7 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit afwerx.com.

Media Contact

Zane Mountcastle, Picogrid, 1 6503958327, media@picogrid.com, https://picogrid.com 

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SOURCE Picogrid