AI-powered mission readiness contract signed for U.S. Space Force
NewsJuly 15, 2026
WINDSOR, Colo. Slingshot Aerospace won a $69.2 million award in support of the U.S. Space Force’s ongoing digital transformation efforts, which are aimed at delivering artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mission rehearsal and operational training capabilities for Space Force personnel.
Slingshot Aerospace's program -- dubbed MENTAT -- will enable Space Force personnel to access AI-enabled training and mission rehearsal capabilities from their home bases and day-to-day work environments, thereby moving critical readiness activities beyond limited exercise windows and into a more continuous model of preparation.
MENTAT's main portion is TALOS, Slingshot’s AI-powered operational training and strategy agent, which is designed to model realistic spacecraft behaviors, generate strategic response options, process vast amounts of complex data, and support mission rehearsal across continuously evolving space scenarios.
The effort, say Slingshot Aerospace officials, supports the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) emphasis on accelerating military AI adoption and building an AI-first fighting force by applying AI to one of the Space Force’s most urgent needs, that of preparing personnel for critical missions.
“TALOS gives Guardians the ability to train against realistic orbital scenarios and rehearse complex missions with a level of speed, scale, and accessibility that simply hasn’t existed before,” said Tim Solms, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace. “MENTAT represents a major advancement in operational space readiness, putting AI-enabled mission rehearsal directly into the environments where Guardians prepare for and execute their missions.”
