The Bijl has become an important part of the arsenal of the Space Force

Space RCO is modeled on the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, whose programs include the X-37B space aircraft and the B-21 Raider Strategic Bomber.

“Much of what I do is not publicly in the audience until we make a shift where the department is in process,” said Hammett. “We will take the lead of this administration. … We are as a department and as a service, work by how we can talk about things like this, more publicly. But we don't have all that guidance in fact. So that can hinder some conversations.”

Combine the greater openness of the Space Force and a hunger for cost savings to rise the grip of the most important defense contractors of the nation. If programs are not so secret, space companies do not need the highest freedom of security to offer on contracts. And many of these startups are supported by rich founders or risk capital.

The question that Hammett is asking today is: why would the government pay for something that billionaires already finance?

While SpaceX was at the forefront of revolutionizing the commercial launching activities, a new wave of companies for the army of missiles, interceptors, surveillance data and, as Ars learned on the recent Space RCO-Pitch day, sensors, propulsion and space-based AI to protect satellites against attack.

Not afraid of the knife

The 10 companies that participated in the recent pitch day are relative newcomers in the space industry. After one are younger than eight years old and most have fewer than 200 employees.

In preparation for the event, Hammett said that his office has handled a list of 62 interested companies up to 10. The first list included small companies and traditional military contractors, often called “defense primes” in the mysterious world of government purchase. Although Hammett did not mention those companies, chances are that you have heard of them. For reference, the five largest contractors of the Pentagon Lockheed Martin, RTX (formerly Raytheon), Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and Boeing are.

“All those traditional prime numbers chose this event, they are,” said Hammett. “We cultivate an A-team that is willing to work with us, who is hungry, who wants to bring affordability and speed, and it is not the existing industrial basis.”

Hammett's office did not want to banish the major defense contractors. Simply put, he said they have not performed or are not interested in going in the direction where RCO wants to go.

“I have ended 11 large contracts in less than three years,” said Hammett. “Five percent of them was with traditional defenders.” Most of these programs are classified, so it will not be news when a contract is canceled.

“We try to solve the programs,” said Hammett. “We work with the artists, but if they can't get well, and if we have program base lines where they now surpass it with 100 percent in costs or planning … we're going to dismiss them and start again.”

At the same time, daring companies with companies seem to come from the Ether of Silicon Valley or one of the other technical corridors of the nation.

“There is a lot of opportunity to bring other artists to the portfolio, but there are many barriers,” Hammett said. One of those barriers is that leadership has no safety authorization at many startups. Many small companies do not use the certified accounting systems that the government usually needs for federal contracts.

“You have to be willing to change your approach, your acquisition strategies, things like that, so I instructed my team to open the opening, to find the A-team where the A-Team lives, because it doesn't seem to be in our current portfolio,” Hammett said.

According to Hammett, there is still a place for the established contractors of the Pentagon. Small companies such as those at Space RCO's Pitch lack the national or even global footprint to carry out the most expensive programs of the army.